Wonderland High: The Academy for Blades and Guns
by Ink'n'Echo
Summary: Alice enters a highschool where everyone can magically summon a weapon and fighting is necessary. Being the only one without a weapon to call her own, how will she survive? Plus, everyone seems to hate her, like THAT helps! More summary inside! Alice
1. The Exception

**This story is written for the forum contest by The Masked Chick. Go check out our forums people, it's pretty crazy there lol! But then I also realised from this first chapter that there is nothing much to guage Alice's magical power :/ I wanted to explain more but I haven got the time so I will try to explain more in the next chapter, pls bear with me till then! **

**Summary: **I don't want to divulge too much but the basic explaination is that Alice attends a school where every student is able to summon a personal weapon that will bear their True Name which will only be known to themselves. And because of the nature of the school's curriculum and a power struggle within the student body, the students make Contracts or alliances, where a Master can have multiple Shields working for him/her to take over the school. In order to do so, the Shield will have to give their True Name to their selected Master and they will be tied for life. But soon you'll find out that Alice is different...

**Disclaimer: I do not own HnKnA except for my story.**

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**-Wonderland High: The Academy for Blades and Guns-**

**Chapter 1: The Exception**

__

Pant pant.

Her heart beat furiously against her chest as she forced her legs to move as fast as they could. A bullet flew past too close, scoring across her cheek and she winced in pain. She tasted a coppery flavor as blood from her temple dribbled down to the corner of her mouth.

"Go back to where you came from Foreigner!"

"Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are! We don't need help from someone like you!"

The sound of protest from the student mob was growing closer. Alice turned around a corner just in time as kunai and knife struck the wall she was at.

_Come on!_ _Why won't it work? _She screamed silently at the blank white gun clenched in her hand. It was a substitute gun Nightmare had given her for her personal protection but she had run out of ammo just as soon as the chase started. Her pursuers on the other hand had an unlimited supply since their bullets were not like the ones from her world but were formed through magical energy.

_You can do it Alice! One more time,_ _think of happy thoughts like Nightmare said. Think of what I like the most!_ As she ran, Alice focused on her inner being, concentrating her own energy on the weapon in her hand. She was already feeling light-headed from all the running but she tried her best to calm down her heart.

_Lorina… Sunday's with her were the best… Graceful Lorina… Beautiful sister, how I wish to spend Sundays with you again… Alice will promise not to fall asleep while we're playing cards if I manage to come out of this school alive…_

Despite the ironic situation she was in, memories of her loving elder sister made her smile. At once, the white gun grew warm and a small blue light flickered in the orb on top of the gun.

"You don't belong here at all!"

"You're Nameless! A shame to our school!"

_They're right… no matter how much I try, I still won't be able to summon my own weapon, because I have no _True Name_._

She ignored the lone tear that escaped her eye but her heart was not deceived. At that thought, the steel of the gun in her hand grew cold once again. Fortunately, the orb, though dull, still retained the blue flame from the small amount of energy Alice had managed to gather.

_It'll probably last only three shots, but it's better than nothing. _She told herself as she analyzed the weak blue fire.

BANG!

"Argh!" she cried as pain shoot through her right leg and she fell faced down onto the ground. From practice, she immediately turned her body to face the enemy. But before she could take aim, one of the faceless students kicked her hand and the gun flew out from her reach. Alice tugged at the gun's chain that was clipped to her skirt for cases like this but a foot stamped down hard onto the length of the chain and no matter how hard she pulled, the foot and her gun wouldn't budge.

"Hahaha! You think pointing that poor excuse of a weapon at us would save you? You thought wrong girl." The faceless owner of the foot threatened as he used his own gun to tilt Alice's chin up. "Apparently the prophecy thought wrong too. You're pathetic." He sneered at her.

"I didn't ask to be the one it prophesied. It must have been a mistake!" Alice defended.

"Don't think you're so great just because you came from the Outside world." The faceless girl beside him said, with multiple throwing knives in each hand as she crossed her arms while indignantly looking down at Alice. "_She will bring peace and harmony to this school, _it said! Well we don't need to be saved from a No Name like you!

"Without a _True Name_, it shows that you don't deserve to ever hold a weapon, let alone be in this school. You're a weirdo, a freak!" Another student scorned.

"It's not like I wanted to be here either!" Alice objected. "Killing at each other everyday, it's just wrong! I'm not the freak here, you all are!"

ZING!

A dagger hit the wall behind her and Alice's body stilled as she saw her slashed up blue bow drift down in pieces in front of her eyes.

"You better know your place Foreigner." Warned the knife-girl. She bent down and pressed a blade deep into Alice's already cut cheek, drawing more blood. "You're in our world now. Just because Nightmare and Peter White seem to favor you doesn't mean you're safe. And without a True Name, you can't forge a contract, not that anyone would want to be your Shield." The girl laughed contemptuously and many of her comrades began to join in.

"So why don't you just run along home Alice, nobody wants you here anyway."

_No! _Alice bit her lower lip as she stared into the faceless girl and forced back her tears, not willing to back down, yet, she could feel the resistance and fight in her slipping away by the seconds.

_I summon… I summon thee…who or what should I call upon? Why don't I have a True Name?_ Alice asked herself, racking her already pounding brain to find an answer. In desperation, Alice tried once again to summon her own weapon, even though she knew it was useless because without a True Name for herself, there was no way to anchor her magical energy, which was the foundation to materializing a weapon.

_I can't find it! I can't find my True Name! _And Alice knew that unless a miracle happens, staying defenseless like this will only get her killed. _How the heck did I get into this mess? And it's only just the first week of school! I shouldn't have come here in the first place… Somebody… Help me!_

"Why do you go so far as to threaten me like this? I haven't done anything to deserve this!" She asked the girl in order to buy time.

"Don't you know Alice? Here in Wonderland High, everyone hates you. We just do."

.

.

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(3 days ago…)

_To: Ms Alice Liddel,  
_

_We are glad to inform you that we have accepted your application to our school. Upon arrival, you are to proceed to the principal's office for an initiation and briefing on the school rules, lodgings and class schedules. You are also expected to register all weaponry and contracts that you own to the student committee. Please note that failure to do so will result in expulsion. _

_A school representative will be sent to escort you into the school entrance at the following address._

_We look forward to meeting you and hope you will enjoy your stay with us.  
_

_Signed, Nightmare Gottschalk_

_Principal of Wonderland High  
_

…

It was the tenth time she had re-read the letter as she stood at the allocated location with her luggage by her side and in her new high school uniform which consisted of a white shirt, blue plaited skirt with gold trimmings, a matching sky-blue blazer with the school crest and a yellow-gold tie.

_Nightmare? What a weird name. And weaponry? Contracts? What does that mean? _She narrowed her brows in confusion as she stared at those words. Alice also noticed a few splatters of red paint at the corner of the paper. She checked the directions and address that was given, making sure it was no mistake, but when she looked up from the letter, all she could see ahead was a thick and dense forest, and the only indication that she was at the right place was a white arrow-shaped board nailed to a tree with yellow letters spelling 'Wonderland'.

Only thing was, the board was pointing at the empty clearing where she now stood.

In fact, she doesn't even recall signing up for a school with such an odd name as 'Wonderland High'.

"This is really weird. Maybe I should just go back home… I knew it was too good to be true to just accept this offer!" Alice sighed and slumping her shoulders, her favorite blue bow bobbing on her fair hair. As she about-turned, she heard a voice from behind.

"It's not weird! Everyone loves to be in Wonderland High, even you will too." Said a bespectacled white-haired boy with red eyes who emerged from behind a tree. "You must be Alice Liddel! I'm Peter White, sent to receive you and at your service." He said and bowed courteously but his eyes never left her face. He wore a similar uniform but with a dark blue pants and blazer instead, and slinging across his shoulder was a huge golden pocket watch. However, the most peculiar thing about him was the _things_ on his head.

"Are you some kind of cosplayer?" Alice asked distastefully as she pointed at his white rabbit ears.

"Cosplay? No they're very real." He asked as he tilted his head. His ears cocked up naturally which took Alice by surprise. _It was be some kind of new otaku technology, _she assured herself.

Noticing that her teal eyes were still on his ears, the boy leaned down asked with a grin, "You like them? I'll let Alice touch them if you give me a kiss!"

"No thanks." She said with a deadpanned face. "Besides, I just went through the forest," she explained reluctantly while brushing off the twigs and dead leaves that were still stuck on her uniform, no wanting to offend her first schoolmate. "I'll probably dirty them."

"Alice is so cute!" The boy chuckled and gave her a bear-hug, much to her annoyance. "I won't mind if Alice touches them, you can dirty me anytime!" He said, rubbing his face against hers playfully and Alice could feel her own burning up.

"Please don't get so familiar with me when we just met you perverted cosplaying rabbit!" she cried, pushing him away hard but he just stood with a big smile, unfazed. _How dare him! This isn't really a good way to start the first day…_Alice thought, half annoyed and half blushing that someone had called her 'cute' for the first time, even if it IS a pervertic rabbit man. "So how do we get to school anyway? Is there going to be some transportation to pick us up?"

"Nope. We're already on top of it!" Peter said while Alice looked at him incredulously. "Hurry up and say the password, we're already late!" He urged her, fingers pointing at his clock's face.

"I don't get it. On top of what? And what password?" Alice asked. _This is getting crazier by the minute!_

"You'll find out soon enough dear Alice! You were sent a small vial with a slip of paper attached to it in a separate package that was sent to you right? Just read out what's written on it."

"Oh that! I have it here with me." Alice dug her skirt pocket and her fingers wrapped around the cool glass bottle. Straightening the flimsy piece of parchment tied to the cap, she read aloud:

"Password: _Blades and Guns_… but Peter, it doesn't make sense. I don't see how this will help us get to scho-"

Suddenly, a black hole appeared out of nowhere and Alice felt the ground beneath her feet disappear. Too stunned for words, she could only hear her frantic self screaming in her head as she watched her outreached hand desperately grabbing at the light from the opening of the ground which was diminishing quickly as she fell deeper into the hole.

_What's happening? Am I going to die here? No... I can't! Definately not like this! Not even after having a cosplaying pevert hug me! Lorina… I still want to see her! _

She shut her eyes, not daring to look as the darkness of the hole began to engulf her. Before she passed out from shock, Alice thought she felt strong arms holding onto her body and pulling her in protectively. By instinct, her hands grabbed onto a shirt for support and she pressed her face into soft snowflake hair fearfully, as she heard Peter's voice whisper calmly and reassuringly into her ears:

"Don't worry Alice, I'm here. I'll always be here for you."

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**I'm so glad i wrote this out even though it isn't much to judge by ^^ I've been thinking about writing this for so long! And I just had to write about Peter first!**

**In the next chapter:** The person Alice hopes to see last appears before her! Can you guess who? But will he save or or kill her instead? And to everyone's surprise, Alice will make her first Contract! But how...?

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and do review! I always feel more motivated to update faster and longer stories when I see reviews! Lol!^^**


	2. The Beginning

**Hi guys! Sorry for the delay, was very swamped with work! Thank you so so SO much for reading and reviewing! I've been planning this story everyday since, so this chapter is written just for you guys! ^^ It's not explaining much still but I hope you'll enjoy it nevertheless :) Also because I keep planning, the story keeps getting longer, so please bear with me! :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything HnKnA T.T**

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**Chapter 2: The Beginning**

_._

_It's a dream, all a dream. That weird letter of acceptance, the odd instructions, that perverted white rabbit-guy… and that hole in the ground... _

_I can't be dead…it's just a dream…_

_Right?_

"Alice… Alice…Wake up… Open your eyes…"

"Onee….san?" Alice mumbled hesitantly with her eyes shut tight. _Lorina… if she's calling me, then all that... was really just a dream… _she reassured herself as she began to relax her grip.

_Wait a second…_what was she gripping at in the first place? Why does it feel so soft and furry?

"Oneesan? I'm not your sister."

_And it didn't sound like her either,_ Alice noted as the drowsy haze in her mind started to clear. Instantly her eyes flew open, only to find herself looking into deep pools of ruby red orbs that accompanied a familiar face framed with silky white strands.

"Morning Alice!" Peter greeted with a goofy smile as he closed in the few inches between their faces and rubbed his nose against hers affectionately while carrying her bridal-style, hugging her even closer to his body.

"AAAAARGH! THE COSPLAYING PEVERT!"

"OW! Please stop screaming and squeezing my ears at the same time my love." Peter winced at the jarring noise.

"I'm not your love! Don't get your face so close to me! And why are you holding onto me like that?" Alice yelled but she couldn't stop the blush that was quickly stealing across her face.

_So close…He was so close!_ Was all she could think of, and the tender way he was looking at her.

"Aren't you the one who's holding onto me instead?" Peter said. That was when Alice realized her hands were still on his ears, her fingers, tangled in his soft hair, had unconsciously been tugging his head close to her chest.

"I didn't know Alice could be so bold! Not that I mind…" He grinned cheekily as his own blush began to form.

Alice felt a vein pop. "Well in that case…"

SLAP!

Her open palm connected with his face and in shock, he released her and she quickly put distance between them.

"Tch! Your way of showing affection sure is rough." Peter said massaging his bruised ears and cheek. "But you're exactly what I had expected to be. No, even better!" He beamed at her and adjusted his glasses.

_Masochist… he's a real masochist… _Alice thought to herself.

"And your way of showing affection is illegal." she replied. _What the heck! If I'm dead and he's here, this must really be HELL._

Actually, seriously, where _was_ she? And how did she end up alive after falling into that hole? Could this all be one crazy dream after all? But it all felt too real.

After all that commotion, Alice finally took one good look around her. The forest obviously seem different now with a multitude of mirrors, doors and arrow signs, all pinned onto each and every tree she could see.

Peter's ears suddenly cocked up at a chime that came from nowhere, and yet the bells sounded very near. "It's 3 o'clock! Come on Alice or we're going to be late!" He smiled enthusiastically and excitedly at her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

"Wait Peter! Where are you goin-"

BAM!

Alice stumbled backwards with her luggage as she felt her face hit an invisible wall.

"Ouch! What on earth! That really hurts!" Alice said, trying to rub the stinging sensation off her smarting nose. Peter on the other hand seems unaffected by whatever obstructed her.

"Oh my! I'm sorry Alice! I forgot to tell you that you have to drink the liquid in the vial to be able to see 'it' and pass through the barrier!"

"…..okaaaay…" _It's all a dream… that's right…one extra-strange fantasy from my imagination…_Alice convinced herself as she played along. And what was she suppose to see anyway?

It perked her curiosity enough to take out the vial, eyeing at it cautiously, before slowly emptying its contents down her throat against her better judgment. As she drank, a huge form began to unveil, shimmering in front of her, and by the last drop, her eyes feasted upon a majestic golden gate with a familiar silver heart-shaped crest that had an emblem of a gun and a dagger, crossing each other, on top of it.

"Peter… is this…?" Alice asked, eyes still wide in awe and nearly dropping the bottle in her hand.

_It's a dream, it's a dream! I-it's just like magic! But magic isn't real!_ She continuously repeated to herself in vain.

"Yep!" He waved his hands in front of him and the gates creaked open magically. "Welcome, my dear, to Wonderland High."

The students that were walking about the compound suddenly stopped what they were doing and Alice could feel their stares boring into her as she walked in with Peter.

"Humph. It's her."

"The Alice-girl."

"What's she doing with Master White!"

"No kiddin!"

"What's _she_ here for?"

"This one doesn't look so tough."

"I bet she won't last for 5 days!"

Alice glanced around nervously as the whispers began to buzz louder around her.

"They don't seem to like me." She said, frowning down at the ground as she walked. "Maybe I shouldn't have come." _As if reality wasn't bad enough, couldn't I make my dream more normal and friendlier at least? _She thought ironically.

Peter glared icily at the bunch of students before him, stilling their murmurs, before turning to the blond-headed girl.

"Nonsense Alice! You came here because you're special." He said, smiling gently while taking her hand into his as he led the way. "And I can guarantee that, because I know you're special to me!"

"No thanks. Guarantee not needed." she said with a deadpanned look. _Special? Anyone but him!_

"No really!" Peter insisted and she could feel his fingers curl around hers more. "And to prove it, since you got to touch my ears, here's your welcome gift!"

_Wha-?_

But before her mind could register anything, Alice felt him yank her hand over. She turned her head to protest, only to find her lips crashing into his. Surprised, she tried to pull away but his other hand cradled the back of her head firmly, forcing his lips to meld with hers.

_He's k-kissing me! In f-front of the whole d-damn school! That __JERK__! _It was like he was claiming her outrightly and Alice could feel her cheeks grew hot as she heard the gaspings and exclamations of those around her increase.

She finally lost it when she felt Peter's moist tongue flitted across her lips, and a sound soon resounded loudly across the school yard, followed by an equally matching voice that got the whole student body's heads turning.

SLAP!

"PEVERT!"

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.

.

(Flash Forward)

_That idiotic rabbit! I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for him!_ And she'd be damned if involuntary thoughts of that perverted albino guy was the last thing that ran through her mind before she died!

_This is just one big crazy dream Alice…_ she forced herself to stared back into the faceless girl who was grinning at the foreigner maliciously. But her hands trembled at the seemingly hopeless situation, because deep down, Alice knew that the pain from the cuts on her body felt very real, the scent of her own blood smelled real, and the hard pounding of her terrified heart sounded real.

_._

"_If this is just a dream… why can't I wake up from it?_

_._

"What's going on here?" demanded a voice that came from the stairs.

At once, everyone looked up and Alice saw a raven-haired guy walk down with his hands in his pockets and his school shirt un-tucked.

"Master Blood!" The knife-girl froze while blushing.

The moment Alice's teal eyes met his emerald ones, her body became immobilized and her heart clenched at the painful familiarity.

_No Alice…calm down… it's… not him…_ _it's a role-holder…_ She told herself as she broke away the eye contact, not entirely sure if she should feel relieved at his presence.

_Blood Dupre._ Alice had heard of him from Nightmare though she has never seen him before until now. An honor student, he is the young leader of Wonderland's most feared Hatter Mafia Organization. Thus, making him one of the Big Three in the power struggle within the student body.

Still, he looked too ridiculously similar to _him_, and that fact alone made her uncomfortable with everything that is Dupre.

Blood yawned briefly before turning a steely glare at the rowdy crowd that has now became dead silent.

"Disturbing my sleep, how troublesome." He complained as his eyes caught sight of a couple of students who had adorned arm bands decorated with a red heart.

"Dogs of the Hearts committee I see. I believe you've just trespassed Hatter territory. My territory." He continued, slurring each word menacingly as he tipped his head back haughtily.

_That's _**really**_ not him…_ Alice clearly distinguished as she felt the immense power and danger emanating from the guy.

Suddenly, concentrated purple-orange and red-blue aura swirled visibly in front of Blood, and after disappearing, in its place, stood an orange, rabbit-eared man who wore a purple tattered scarf, and across him, a pair of grinning twins wearing blue and red hats separately.

"You're late." Blood frowned as he said to the three newcomers.

"Sorry Blood. But I had to chase after those two skiving brats!" Rabbit ears flopped down apologetically as the man glowered accusingly at the young boys, and despite the situation she's in, Alice could feel her hands itching to touch those long appendages.

"We're not skiving you stupid hare!"

" We're just taking our well deserved break." The twins defended which earned them an ungraceful snort.

"Well deserve my ass!"

Blood sighed as he looked at the childish behavior of his subordinates.

"Elliot… Boys…" He warned, and the three reluctantly stopped their bickering. "Time for you to get to work, don't you think?"

And as if they finally found something all could agree on, Elliot and the twins smiled sinisterly at the crowd that was slowly backing away in fear, their own weapons appearing in their hands.

"With pleasure." Elliot said as he raised his gun at the group. "Don't mind if I do."

"Let's play brother, the more the merrier."

"Yes brother, how very fun." The twins agreed as they wielded their deadly looking scythes at the shakened mob.

_Crap! This isn't good! _Alice tried to move but her body was too laden with exhaustion.

"Wait!" cried the faceless girl suddenly and she pointed at Alice who was still lying on the floor. "We mean no harm! It was the Foreigner who lured us here deliberately!"

_That lying coward! _Alice stared angrily, wishing so much that her gaze could wither the girl on the spot. _This just keeps getting better doesn't it…_

Now, very unsure of her bleak-looking future, Alice saw Blood move past his Shields and down the steps. He stood in front of her with his fingers on his chin as he surveyed her beaten form.

"Hmmm… you're telling me... that she is _clever_ and _strong _enough to trick the whole lousy lot of you into coming here? How interesting." Blood smiled down at her, making Alice's heart skip a beat at his words. She could hear her pursuers grumble objectively beneath their breath. Finally, one dared to speak.

"Kill her Blood! She's nothing but trouble to the school! She could even be problem to you!" suggested the faceless boy whose feet had separated her from her gun, but was now too preoccupied in saving his own life.

"Nobody commands me."

Swiftly, Blood whips out his own gun and pointed the muzzle at the guy.

"I'll remove noisy and problematic people when I want to. Starting with you." The Mafioso declared, not pleased, his finger already at the trigger.

"No! Don't!" Everything in Alice instinctively jumped to prevent the shooting. Reckless killing went against her nature, even if it was to one who wanted her dead too.

_If it was really him, __**he**__ wouldn't do it… _

She just couldn't bear to see someone who bear such resemblance to _him_ act this cruel and cold-hearted. Alice forced herself off the floor and lunged at the astounded Blood; Elliot and the twins were too stunned to even move. She reached for his gun, to push it away from its intended target, but the moment her fingers touched the cold metal barrel, she heard a name, calling out to her softly in her mind.

_Is that… my True Name?_

She repeated what she had heard, whispering the words out hesitantly, not daring to believe.

"What…did you… say?" Blood gawked at her with wide eyes, noticing her magical energy centering within her, her eyes glazed over and her hand glowing white.

"What's wrong Blood?" Elliot asked worriedly.

"No! Don't say it!" Blood cried out as he watched her mouthed silent sentences to the other bewildered onlookers, but he knew that he alone would hear every single word leaving her lips.

And it was too late to stop it. He could already feel the white energy strands weaving between the two of them as Alice's melodious and trance-like voice spoke:

.

"_Sworn upon the Mad Hatter's Wrath, I give thy blood, to form a bond with thou weapon's heart. _

_**Shadow Rose**__, I summon thee. Hear my call and come to me."_

.

"Boss!" The twins yelled as blinding white light engulfed Blood and Alice. And when it died down, Blood was nowhere to be seen. But there stood Alice, holding a white and black machine gun, and in place of her ripped bow was a small black top hat with a single red rose. The blue of her uniform had also become jet-black.

Alice touched her head gingerly, feeling as if she had woken up from a very deep sleep. _Did I manage to summon my own weapon? That felt so weird…_ she thought as she tested the weight of the heavy gun. "…What…happened?"

"_I'm about to ask you the same thing young miss. That's my weapon you're holding."_

Blood's livid voice rang inside her head and she nearly fell back from the shock of hearing it so up- close.

"B-but where are you?" She asked frantically as she looked around, feeling disorganized by the disembodied angry, yet sultry, voice.

"_I'm right here. In your hands."_

But the _only_ thing in her hands was the machine gun. _Which looked a lot like the weapon Blood was holding… which means…oh no…this can't be what I think is happening…_

"No way! She formed a Contract with Blood!"

"But that's not how the Contract works!"

"The Foreigner must have the power to steal weapons!"

"She's a thief! Better stay away from her!"

A restless mob fearful of an unknown circumstance is never a good sign.

"Blood?" Alice asked the firearm she's holding apprehensively. "What's going on? !"

.

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**I was squeezing too much into in this chapter, hope it was ok and not too confusing :) If you want shorter stories, do tell me so I can suit your needs! **

**Next Chapter: **It's not her True Name but Alice makes her first Contract and Blood's an unwilling Shield! Hang on, Blood's gun isn't acting like how a gun should be! Why are the bullets not doing anything? Even her Contracts work differently. Will Nightmare bring light on her situation or confuse her even more? Stay tuned to find out!

**And please, do REVIEW! It really does help to motivate me to work on the next chapter faster and write longer! Otherwise I'll probably go back to doing my other works and school projects :p Thanks for reading! ^^**


	3. The Unexpected

**Yo peeps! Sorry for the very VERY long delay! I've been swamped by work and was updating Ace's fic called _The Wandering Heart_ so do check that out too if you like! **

**I really appreciate all the reviews (Thank you guys SOOO much!) and feeling motivated, I've been trying my best to plot for this chapter ever since which unfortunately nearly hit a writers block because there were so many details I have yet to figure out T-T. But i've managed somehow so hope this chapter won't be too confusing for you :P.**

**I've also set up a POLL for you to tell me which fic of mine I should update next! So make sure you vote if you want to see this story updated first ya! Or else I'll pay more attention to another lol!**

**The characters may be a bit OOC because remember, EVERYONE is suppose to hate Alice here XD! So without further ado and to compensate for all the time you've waited, I present to you (especially my reviewers ^^) a extra EXTRA long chapter :D! So get ready!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything HnKnA except for my story T-T**

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**Guideline to take note of:**

_"Italics and open inverted commas" - _Telepathic conversation and open thoughts

_Italics only - _Closed and guarded thoughts

**_"Bold italics and open inverted commas" - _**Conversing aloud... you'll know what I mean later *wink!*

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**Chapter 3: The Unexpected**

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"_What is the meaning of this. And how did you learn of my True Name?_"

Alice could hear Blood ask in a dangerously low voice. _So this was the telepathic link the teacher was talking about..._ but since she has never made a Contract before, this disorientating experience was a first for her.

"_I don't know! The name, it just came to me when I touched your gun."_

She replied him in her head as she glanced down at the black and white gun with a single blood red muzzle and a fully bloomed red rose attached to the side. And on the top of the machinery was the same crystal orb containing a small blue flame, just like the one her substitute white gun had.

_And just when I thought I was finally getting my True Name, how the hell did this happen? But this is_ _considerably light for a machine gun... _Alice wondered in amazement as she turned and inspected the beauty of the firearm about with ease. She also realized that her previous wounds on her hands have disappeared, including her other injuries.

_Could that be due to the summoning? _Alice wondered in awe.

"_Came to you? Only the bearer can give away his or her true name. What are you trying to play at young lady? Release me, __**now**__." _Blood commanded and Alice could feel his magical energy that had been mixed in with her own seethe with such fury it was distracting.

"I'm not trying to play at _anything_ you rude, egoistic idiot!" She yelled at the gun, unable to contain her annoyance at his behavior. Alice gripped the handle hard, wishing she could get her hands on his neck instead.

"_I'm just as confused as you are so stop getting angry at me!"_ She continued telepathically only because the onlookers were giving her queer looks. "_ And trust me if I knew how to release this summon I would! You've been in this school longer than me, shouldn't you know how?"_

A few seconds of silence passed as she waited for his response.

"_No I don't." _Blood begrudgingly replied but this time his tone held a hint of puzzlement. _"Because I've never come across this stage of the summoning before."_

"_Stage?"_ Alice thought, her mind running through the things she have learnt so far in class, but before she could further interrogate Blood, she heard one of the twins whistle a note.

"Fweet~...Boss actually became a shield!" Dee said cheekily while placing his hands on his hip, eyes wide with interest at the fair-headed girl.

"Heh… didn't think Boss would give his True Name to anyone, and especially not Onesaan."

Alice looked at Dum who grinned at her while folding his arms casually. And like his brother, he still held on to that big and long axe of his, maneuvering it so effortlessly that Alice was beginning to think that Blood was feeding the boys steroids.

"_What kind of man do you think I am? I did no such thing." _Blood retorted humorlessly, reminding her that she wasn't guarding her thoughts carefully from him.

"_Well you're mafia, and _that_ says a lot." _Alice replied, mentally rolling her eyes at him.

"Watch your mouths you pipsqueaks!" Elliot rebuked the younger boys before turning his eyes onto Alice. She never knew it was possible for a color such as violet to induce a feeling of impending danger, till now.

"Knowing Blood, he would never…"

"But that's a Stage 3 Shield Summoning you stupid chicken!" The red-eyed twin intercepted much to the hare's displeasure. "No one in this school has ever achieved that before."

"It's the final stage that is only attained when the trust and bond between the Master and the Shield are at the highest. Unless…" his identical brother cupped his chin with his fingers and trailed off thoughtfully. "… Boss and Onesaan actually have a secret relationship behind your back!"

"_What!"_ Alice reacted apprehensively and she swore she could hear Blood snort in derision.

"R-really?" Innocent shock registered on Elliot's face before the blond man shook his head vigorously in disbelief. "I-I mean that's not possible! I would have known about it! And besides she doesn't look like she's Blood's type!"

Seeing his long brown ears flopping from left to right, Alice's instincts kicked in before she could hide it.

"_So cute…" _she squealed inwardly, rubbing her fingers together into imaginary soft fur unconsciously.

"_I didn't know milady was the type for such… fetishes…" _said the amused Mafioso, breaking into her daydream.

"_I-it's not a fetish! I just…er… happen to like cute animals."_

"_So you think that Elliot, the _dangerous_ second-in-command of the Hatter Mafia, is _'cute'_?" _

Alice could practically visualize him arching an eyebrow at her.

"_N-not him! It's his ears, his EARS!" _She blushed and brushed off Blood's who was apparently not convinced and stifling a chuckle. Alice focused her attention instead on Dee who was speaking again.

"Then how did they forge the Contract-"

"ARGH! How should I know!" Elliot burst out and ran a hand through his wavy hair. Feeling frustrated and confused, he glared at Alice and pointed his gun at her forehead in one swift motion.

"Oi! You've got some explaining to do before I blow your brains out!" He demanded as he unclipped the safety mechanism of the gun.

"What? ! But I don't have any answers either!" Alice blurted desperately as beads of perspiration trailed down her forehead. _This is unreasonable! Think Alice… think your way out of this!_

"Why bother when we could just cut her up and study her later?" The blue twin suggested playfully as he raised his blade at the Foreigner. It came so close to her face that she could even see her pale reflection on it.

"I agree brother! Explaining is boring and cutting is _so_ much cleaner than shooting." The red one enthusiastically added, the maniacal gleam in both of their eyes caused a prominent spine-tingling chill.

_Madness! They're just kids for god sakes!_ Alice thought to herself, unable to comprehend how such young children can turn into killers.

" Y-you can't! If you do that who knows? You'll probably end up killing Blood too!" She tried to reason with them, hoping that it would work.

The boys look at each other, contemplating a bit before turning back to their 'game', looking even more excited than before.

"But we won't know unless we try, right Onesaan?" They said simultaneously in anticipation as they inched closer to her…

.

"_**How many times do I have to tell you guys not to be reckless?"**_

**_._**

"Whoa! Did Blood just talk?" Elliot asked, mouth agape as everyone began to lean in closer to the gun, surprised.

"Uh huh!" The twins nodded their heads in confirmation.

"_**Dee, Dum, your salaries and break time will be cut by half."**_

"Aw Boss! Don't do that! We'll be good!" Whined the twins who lunged themselves at Alice, hugging at her arm and pleading so tearfully that she was having a hard time keeping her guard up against their weapons. _So, they're still children deep down after all... _she sighed and gave a small affectionate smile despite their earlier none-to-pleasant intentions.

"Ha ha ha! Serves you brats right!" Elliot clutched his stomach as he doubled over with laughter.

"_**You too Elliot, there won't be any carrot cakes for tea tonight."**_

That froze the hare on the spot as the twins snickered and stuck their tongues out at him, satisfied with the retribution served.

"_Tea at night? I thought they were usually held in the afternoon?" _Alice inquired curiously.

"_I don't see anything wrong with doing what I want, when I want it." _Blood telepathically stated as-a-matter-of-fact.

That high-and-mighty air around him was seriously getting on her nerves.

"_Pompous ass…"_

"_I heard that. And my my, such a way with words too. You're forgetting who you're talking to aren't you, young miss."_ He cautioned her before turning his attention to his subordinates.

"_**Listen carefully. This is a fully merged state. Nobody knows what will happen so she may very well be right in this. Therefore, the young lady shall not be harmed. That is, **_**UNTIL**_** I am released from her summon which she is unable to do so currently." **_

Alice cringed inwardly at his insinuation, recalling that she was treading on dangerous waters with the Mafia.

"_**Do not make me repeat myself. Talking to you in this form is draining my energy." **_

With Blood ending his instructions, the trio looked at each other, unsure of their next step.

"Eh…! So we can't kill Onesaan…" noted Dum disappointingly.

"Nor can we get Boss back…" Dee scratched his head.

" And Blood sounds pissed. Man… this is really bad!" Elliot concluded with a frown, his hand messing up his orange locks further.

.

"Oh really? But I guess that's good news for us then."

.

All four of them turned their heads at the voice, reminding them that they weren't alone. Most of the students in the mob have already taken the chance to scatter and those that remained were all wearing the same sleeve band with an ornamented red heart design.

_The ones from the Hearts committee..._Alice remembered, holding _Shadow Rose_ closer to her chest. _They're supposed to be pro-school… so _w_hy do I have a bad feeling about this…_

"Cheh… They've called for back-up." The March Hare scowled, whispering as his highly sensitive ears easily picked up more footsteps heading their way. On the stairs, he positioned himself protectively in front of Alice while the gatekeepers shifted automatically to the fore front with well practiced coordination.

"So the mighty Blood as fallen…" Declared a faceless guy wielding a katana that started to glow with green flames.

"And to be taken in by that pathetically weak Foreigner no less!" Mocked another who was swinging a chained whip with a spike at its end in momentum. And although he was silent, Alice could feel Blood's energy boiling with rage.

"So all we have to do is just kill her and we'll kill Blood? That's too easy!"

"If we do that, we'll get promoted from 'soldier' to 'knight' rank for sure!" Another two discussed greedily at the possibility, already high on adrenaline and summoning their own weapons, preparing to launch an attack when suddenly…

.

"Onisaan…"

.

Dum greeted as he appeared ominously from behind with such speed neither was able to notice.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Dee followed suit and the next thing they knew, the two faceless were sliced into half from behind.

Alice could only stare in horror, covering her mouth. She looked away as blood gushed out from the collapsed bodies. Even though she had already known that the students could easily be replaced, she wasn't used to it yet and it didn't settle with her to witness such murder, even if it means her survival.

BANG!

"Ah!" She jumped at the noise as another faceless member fell with a bullet hole blossomed in his head.

.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that ain't gonna happen when I'm around."

.

The hare had his gun aimed sideways, with fresh smoke coming out of the barrel. Elliot's mauve orbs narrowed treacherously at the group as he smirked.

"Don't be intimidated by them!" Encouraged a faceless girl who was armed with a flamethrower. "They've been released from Blood'summons since the Foreigner's would have overridden it, they won't be as powerful!"

"If you think we have to rely on our Master to take you weaklings down, you bloody well thought wrong!" Elliot challenged hotly, annoyed at the insult. Eager to prove them otherwise, the three Hatter Shields charged at the large Hearts faction and a uneven battle ensued…

.

Bloodshed.

.

It was as brutal as that. Alice backed to the top of the stairs as she observe the rabbit-eared man fired his gun with high accuracy and agilely dodging bullets and landing a high powered kick in the chest of an approaching faceless. And watching the twins was like watching a synchronized dance. Every step they took and every damage they spawned equaled to the precision of a reflected mirror.

It was gruesome and ruthless, but Alice couldn't help but feel the admiration for them gradually rising within her, her eyes focused on the brilliance of the action.

"_They are, after all, my men for a reason."_ Blood acknowledged plainly. _But the girl was right._Though the difference was subtle, he could see that without him to enhance their own powers, Elliot and the Bloody Twin's performance wasn't at its best and the increasing number of opponents was beginning to take its toll on them.

"Damn it they're persistent! Hey girl!" Elliot called out as he panted heavily before swinging a punch at a stomach and shooting twice into his assailant's chest at point blank.

"I'm not 'girl'! My name's Alice!" She cried out from above the noise. _Miss Liddel, Nameless, No-Name, Foreigner, Outsider, Young Miss and now I'm just 'Girl'? ! _Alice fumed.

"Sheesh! Fine!" Elliot resigned in exasperation, his sight never wavered from his opponents that just seem to double the original amount. "Alice you better start firing cos' they're breaking through! You've got Blood's gun don't you? Put it to good use then!"

"Oh right!" Alice obediently obeyed as she hoisted the gun onto her arm unsteadily. But suddenly it occurred to her that…

"_I haven't been taught to use this type of gun before! Blood what should I do?"_

"_Shouldn't you have taken your Ballistics class yet."_

"_No, not yet!"_

"_Then that's not my problem, figure it out yourself." _Blood unhelpfully pointed out, unwilling to submit to a Master who couldn't even _hold_ his gun. However, before he could reject, he felt Alice's magical energy entwine into his and taking control.

_What the-! She's deepening the bond!_ Blood realized but despite his efforts to remain stubborn, he couldn't pull his energy away from hers.

Alice on the other hand had no idea what she was doing. One moment she was filled with anger and the next she could feel Blood's energy being absorbed into her mind and body, conditioning her with a bit of Blood's knowledge and physical practice.

Though still unsteady, she managed to lift the gun and take aim correctly as three faceless students flew towards her. In a spilt moment, three distinct shots were heard in rapid sequence and Blood's Shields spared a knowing glance towards Alice.

Through her eyes, Blood looked down at the three students who were knocked out from the impact, their shoulders bleeding.

"_Your aim was off. You didn't even aim for their heart." _He chided, but he certainly wasn't prepared for her answer…

.

"I wasn't."

.

Alice told him straightforwardly. Movement on the left caught her eyes as another faceless pounced at her, ready to bring down his menacing looking saber on her. Alice took aim once again but when the trigger was pulled, this time, there was only an empty click.

"_Crap! I forgot I only had three bullets!"_ Fear and panic finally kicked in when she saw that the crystal orb on the gun was empty now. Fortunately, she managed to roll away from under the blade in the nick of time.

"_You can't be serious._" Blood replied, his voice dropping and octave lower and laced with scorn. "_Isn't energy supposed to be ever present?"_

"_Well I'm sorry if my magical energy don't work the way yours do! And I don't think I can reload the gun anytime soon."_ Alice grimaced at the ironic situation.

_Well there goes my first impression…_Just when it was a one-in-a-million chance to meet someone who looks exactly like _him_, not only did he not like her but she was making him _despise_ her with everything she does!

Conversing with Blood, Alice was caught unaware as her enemy swung his saber at her a second time, the tip slicing across her arm at the last moment, cutting deep into her flesh.

"Argh!" _"Urgh!" _She heard Blood concurrently cry out as the burning pain of the wound surfaced, confirming her theory that Stage 3 summoning links them physically as well.

BANG!

The saber-holder rolled back his eyes and fell backwards, revealing Elliot with his gun pointing straight ahead. The twins had their hands full, taking on eight trespassers each.

"Elliot! I don't have any more ammo! Don't ask me why!" Alice yelled out to him in desperation.

"What? !" He yelled back, flabbergasted at how the situation was turning from bad to worse. A rifle shooter ran towards Alice and Elliot jumped in, wrestling arm to arm and gun to gun.

"Then take Blood somewhere safe! And I'm not gonna let you off if you get yourself killed ya' hear me Alice! Now go!" He ordered through clenched teeth as he struggled to hold back her pursuers.

She nodded and took off. It was a funny feeling, but she felt happy that she was trusted to help in any way at all. And to meet with all these new people who was beginning to treat her differently for once, Alice wasn't about to let all that disappear too.

"_If I die Blood dies! I can't let that happen!"_ She told herself resolutely, wanting to finally be able to do something right.

CRASH!

The wall beside her broke into smithereens. She peered back, shielding her eyes from the debris and spotted the katana, chain-whip and flamethrower user hot on her heels. Instinctively, she focused her sight and senses on each incoming projectile and tried her best to avoid it with each twist of her body as she ran down the corridor.

Unknown to her, Blood was observing his new-found Master _very_ closely indeed.

_She cares if I die? That is unheard of. And there's something about the way she moves… It's too fluid and flawless... even for a beginner... _he guarded his thought's against her mind, watching the flow of her body as she dodges, frowning deeply while he tried to put a finger on what was so unusual and peculiar about the Foreigner.

.

"_Stop running. I do not run from a fight. __**Ever**__." _

.

Blood insisted after a long bout of uninterrupted silence in her mind that she was almost sure he wouldn't talk to her again.

_But when he does, it just makes me want to shut him up!_ Alice grumbled to herself.

"Are you nuts? ! Didn't you hear me? We're practically in a defenseless situation unless I can get more energy to get your gun working!" She explained aloud to the voice in her head as she ran and made a sharp turn left, evading the razor-like air-cuts the katana produced.

"_Hmmm… more energy you say…"_

Alice could sense the gears in his mind churning at the hints those words held. Out of the blues, rain of fire raced over her head, falling to the ground in front of her and creating a rising wall of hot flames. Alice stopped in her tracks abruptly and turned around, prepared to face the committee members.

"You didn't think we'd let this chance of killing you escape us did you?"

"Hahaha… never thought I'd see the day Blood Dupre has to run with his tail between his legs!"

"Who's the dog now huh?"

The three goaded at their ease of success in cornering the Foreigner, their weapons poised and ready in their hands. And if they had eyes, Alice was sure it would be filled with blood-lust.

"_**I'll kill all of you for that. Mark my words." **_

Blood drawled aloud, each word dripping with poison and the promise of death.

"_Blood?" _Alice cried out in astonishment, feeling the gun in her hand grow warm as Blood's magical energy loaded the gun and the crystal orb began to fill with swirling black glow.

But he didn't stop at that. She could feel his energy grow and spread till it engulfed her entire being.

Alice gasped aloud as she felt invisible fingers wrap around her wrist. Her legs moved apart, as if on their own accord and she found herself pointing _Shadow Rose_ at the enemy with the most stable and perfect form, unlike how she did before at the stairs.

The three faceless before them flinched a little at the sudden confidence in her pose before they burst out with laughter.

"Ha ha ha! Are you blind? You're in no position to threaten us Dupre. You _or_ the Outsider."

Alice directed her glare at them and at Blood. _"What _do_ you think you're doing? You're going to get us killed!"  
_

"_I'm taking over whether you like it or not."  
_

Her face flushed red as the masculine voice sounded even closer this time, as if he was physically wrapping his arms around her and whispering into her ears seductively. He then proceeds to guide her fingers onto the trigger as he explained briefly but passionately:

"Shadow Rose_ is a sub machine gun, an assault rifle made for close range combats like this. Hold it firm but not too tight and settle it against your arm and shoulder. Widen your stance and angle your front foot in the direction of the gun. The release is automatic and quick. It's a heavy powered firearm so the recoil will catch you off balance if you're not prepared-"_

"_No wait I can't!"_ Alice interrupted, feeling overwhelmed with the sudden knowledge he was overloading her mind with. _Is he actually trying to help me now? But he's forcing me to kill!_

"_Haven't you learnt by now? Such hesitant actions will only get you killed here."_ Blood reprimanded harshly and Alice felt his energy surge forcefully through her, attempting to take control of her body fully.

.

"_Now Alice, _shoot_."_

_._

Alice stiffened. _My name, he called it for the first time_…his voice sounding so much like the person she was trying so hard to forget...

Dumbfounded, the last of her resistance withered away and she felt her finger mindlessly squeeze the trigger.

.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM！

.

The corridor was filled with the loud succession of blasts and the suffocating smell of gun powder and smoke, accompanied by cries of agony as the bullets hit their targets.

When her vision cleared, Alice was taken aback by the amount of collateral damage the machine gun has made. The bullets gouged huge gaping holes everywhere; the pillars, floor and ceiling. No existing space was left unaccounted for.

But what shocked her most was that their pursuers still stood _without a drop of blood_.

"Huh? W-what was that!" Stammered the katana-guy, as he ran his hands over the supposed areas of direct hit on his body, yet there was no visible wound.

The three were definitely shaken, but very much alive.

"_They're okay…I... didn't kill them…"_ Alice sighed as temporary relief washed over her. However something was off… _and very wrong…_her instincts told her as she gulped at air before she gathered her courage to ask.

"_But I know the magazine was loaded with energy. Did we miss?" _

"_Miss?"_ Blood scoffed at her accusations. _"I don't make such mistakes milady."_

"Whoa! That scared me for a second!" The girl with the flamethrower picked herself off the ground and began laughing nervously.

"Ha ha ha! Guess your bark is worse than your bite!" The others joined in, trying to resurrect the brave front they had just a while ago.

.

"_**Are you sure about that?"**_

**_._**

Blood leered with satisfaction.

_Yes. Something feels very VERY wrong here. _

And whatever it was, Alice dreaded to find out. But a shrill cry of anguish just made her fears come true...

.

* * *

**How was it? Hope it's not too confusing! ^^ And yes I did promise explainations from Nightmare but the more I write the chapter just got too long! T-T But don't worry! I'm already halfway intot the next chapter! I'll probably post it by this week but how fast? That depends on the numbers of reviews I get ^^!**

**Sneak Preview for Chapter 4:**

"Noooo!" The faceless girl screamed.

"That's… just horrible!" Alice exclaimed as she looked that the gun in her hands, feeling as if the piece of metal just grew to weigh a ton. "Stop it Blood! Make it stop!"

"_No."_

"Blood please!" Alice pleaded aloud, tear drops falling non-stop on the steel of the sub-machine gun, but it did no use in softening the Mafia boss's heart.

_They'll die at this rate! There must be a way to reverse his energy… If only he'd listen to me! _

"Blood! As your Master I-"

"_Master? Don't make me laugh. Do not expect me to obey you milady because I have never acknowledged you as my Master…" _Blood argued back with words he had been wanting to say every since _she _audaciously binded him to her.

"… _and I__** never**__ will."  
_

**Was that enough sneak for you? LOL! And pls vote for my POLL on my profile people if you want me to update this fic next after chapter 4! (PS* And if you DO vote, you guys can also read a sneak summary of what I have in mind for chapter 5! ^^)**

**Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and tunning in to this story! And the reviews I got really helps! The more reviews I get the more I feel encouraged to update faster and longer chapters! So DO review and let me know what you think k! :) Till next time!**


	4. The Rosette

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I had wanted to update on Wednesday but was down with fever T-T. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews and for tuning in to this story! Let's see if I can reach a 100 reviews for at least one of my stories but I know it will take time :) **

**Also, please note that I will be closing the poll by the end of next week so if you've voted, thank you so much! If not please do so so that I know which of my fanfics should I update next k! So don't forget to check on my profile for the results! ****Without further ado, here's chapter 4, hope you'll enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything HnKnA except for my story concept and ideas for _Wonderland High_.**

* * *

.

**Chapter 4: The Rosette**

.

"ARGHHHHH!"

The raw cry nearly made her jump out of her skin as it echoed in the enclosed hallway. Alice's teal eyes grew bigger as she observed the scene before her, mind blank with alarm.

The faceless whip-wielder howled as he gripped his shirt front, dropping the weapon he was holding. And suddenly, just like in a horror story, his legs turned brown and hard, and luscious green vines grew from where he stood, rooting him to the ground.

"Like a tree… He's… turning into… a tree…" Alice whispered breathlessly as terror of the transformation gripped at her heart. She felt her knees wobble and was sure she would have fallen to the ground if it wasn't for Blood's commanding energy supporting her body.

The other two comrades could only watch, paralyzed with fright as the change continued upwards to his torso rapidly, the crunching sound of wood grinding in their ears. Finally, the finishing blow came as huge sharp thorns pierced through from under his skin, impaling him from within. And directly over his heart bloomed a single crimson rose, its velvet folds mixed with his life's blood.

_No…_

Alice prayed silently, refusing to acknowledge the truth that was slowly realizing.

"Nooo!" The faceless girl screamed, hands covering her face in despair as her companion's body slumped lifelessly against the protruding spikes.

"It c-can't be! She's actually able to use Blood's own power- UGH!"

The other two tried to run away but their own transformation was beginning to take place, restraining them to the ground they stood. The katana user brandished his sword against his own leg in a desperate but futile attempt to cut himself free of the conversion, but bark and vine constantly overlapped the scratches, healing on its own.

"I take it back! Everything I said! I'll do anything so please, spare me!" begged the faceless committee associate, bowing as low as he could.

"_**I did say I'd kill all of you, didn't I?" **_

Blood taunted leisurely while his prey shook their heads in denial.

"_**And unlike you, I don't go back on my word." **_

"What's… happening to them… Blood? W-what… kind of bullets are those?" Alice asked fearfully, her hands trembling.

_I did this…_

She bit down her bottom lip hard, concentrating on the self-inflicted pain. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block out the voices of her victims haunting her conscience as they struggled.

"_They aren't just bullets. They're seeds."_

Blood clarified, taking pleasure in knowing he was slowly wrecking her mentality. _"My energy harnesses the magic of the rose. Once it enters your body, the seed will automatically grow until it roots you to the ground and suffocates… your... heart."_

He emphasized his last words, the deep and rich voice filling her mind like honey. But it was anything but sweet.

It was bitter.

"_It's…just like… an inverse Iron Maiden…"_ Alice realized. The same agonizing and slow torture of witnessing yourself being skewered by spikes was most befitting for the coldblooded young Mafia.

"_The young lady is_ very _insightful indeed." _She could sense Blood smiling sardonically and appreciatively at her thoughts.

"Somebody! Help me!"

Alice's eyes shifted to the sound of the wail and met the face of the flamethrower-girl. Tears streaked down from the eye-less void as she reached out to Alice, trying in vain to clamber away from her half-changed body.

_I shot them… _

"That's… just horrible!" Alice exclaimed as she looked that the gun in her hands, feeling as if the piece of metal just grew to weigh a ton. The responsibility of ending their lives was too much for her to bear.

"Stop it Blood! Make it stop!"

"_No."_

"Blood, please!" Alice pleaded aloud, teardrops falling non-stop on the steel of the sub-machine gun, but it did no use in softening the Mafia boss's heart.

"P-please…S-save m-me!" The faceless girl stuttered as she cried.

Alice moved, taking in the girl's hand and clasping their fingers together, wanting to share the pain. But before she could get any closer, she felt Blood's energy wrapping around her waist, stopping her movements effectively.

_They'll die at this rate! There must be a way to reverse his energy… If only he'd listen to me! _

"Blood! As your Master I-"

"_Master? Don't make me laugh. Do not expect me to obey you milady because I have never acknowledged you as my Master…" _Blood argued back with words he had wanted to say ever since _she_ audaciously binded him to her.

"… _and I__** never**__ will."_

Alice felt her own tears flow silently and uncontrollably as she started sobbing together with the girl, fingers tightening their hold in desperation. She didn't know which was hurting her more; the rejection, the helplessness or the guilt. Or maybe it was all three.

_Because of me…_

Face or not, she couldn't bear to look at the girl anymore, knowing that she had no way to save her. But she felt Blood's fingers again, holding her chin firmly and forcing her to look straight ahead as his voice spoke hypnotically:

"_Do not look away Alice. Because you are in Wonderland High…."_

And right before her eyes, the girl arched back in excruciating pain as a large thorn grew and emerged from her back and shoulders.

.

"_And __**this**__ is how we live."_

_._

A sickeningly squishing sound was heard as Alice saw a rose bud emerging through the faceless's chest, its petals beginning to unfold. The girl drooped forward as blood trickled from her mouth, her featureless face still boring straight into Alice's as her cold fingers finally released and slipped away from her grip…

.

_I killed them._

_._

"NOOO!"

Bright blue light suddenly shone from Alice's body and shot throughout the corridor as it accompanied her voice.

Blood was shocked speechless. Even from within the Foreigner's body, he was blinded by the illumination as it engulfed him from within, minimizing his black energy.

"Urgh!" he cried out as he was suddenly flung to the side, his body hitting the wall.

_Cried out?_

It suddenly occurred to him as he raised his hand to his throat, noticing that he was finally back in his human form. As the sapphire light faded, he saw Alice, lying on the floor across from him, as well as three other bodies.

Three other bodies that looked perfectly normal with no traces of the effects of his bullets at all.

"Boss! We've got reinforcements!"

Blood turned his head towards the familiar voices as the Bloody Twins and the March Hare ran towards him, their bodies covered with nasty scratches and blood, but none too severe.

"Blood! You finally got released! Are you alright?" Elliot expressed his concern as he helped his Master up, his arm supporting the Mafioso whose astonished green eyes never left Alice's form.

Eyes that gradually narrowed dangerously at her as the fact dawned on him…

_My bullets, she negated it! How can that be! ?_

Grinding his teeth in defiance over the control she seemed to have over him, he summoned _Shadow Rose _in his hand and he swiped the gun in the direction of the badly injured girl.

"Isn't Alice your Master?" Elliot inquired, casting uneasy glances between the two. "You know your weapon will do no damage if raised against her."

"We'll just have to see about that."

Blood ruthlessly bite out, finger already on the sub machine gun's trigger when an omnipotent voice boomed from above, startling them.

.

"**That is as far as I will allow." **

.

Looking up, Blood frowned, annoyed at the silver-haired man that had appeared out of nowhere and was floating in the air with arms crossed. Nightmare gave a perceptive smile as he drifted down, placing himself between _Shadow Rose_ and Alice.

With a snap of his fingers, a mass of concentrated white aura swirled beside the principal and the vice president of the Hearts committee was revealed, kneeling down on one bent knee, his red blazer a testament to his position.

White lashes lifted and cold ruby-red orbs surveyed his surroundings. But when he caught sight of the unconscious Foreigner, his eyes widened as he flew to her side.

"Alice! Alice, are you ok?" Peter asked worriedly as he gathered her body with all her initial wounds returned. His gloved hands carefully cupped her face, inspecting every injury she had.

"What have you done to her Hatter!"

Glowering back at the hot-headed rabbit, Blood de-materialized his weapon, his mood to continue ruined.

"I did nothing, but she on the other hand-"

"Then you know as well as I do that a Contract was made." Nightmare interrupted calmly. "And it can never be taken back once forged. Pointing your gun at her was useless from the start."

Peter looked at Nightmare in disbelief. "Alice… made a Contract with _him_? How?"

"You know exactly what happened between Blood and Alice don'cha?" Elliot joined in, also needing answers. But Nightmare only returned them a knowing smile and nothing else.

"All will be explained in due time, since it seems you and your men have sustained a fair amount of damage as well." The incubus eyed Elliot and nodded his head towards the deep gash on Blood's forearm that was caused by the saber earlier. "I suggest it's best for you to retreat for now."

"Did he just _think_ me weak? !" The hare angrily pointed out, taking a step forward and rolling his sleeve up for another good bout of whacking when Blood raised his hand up, gesturing him to stop.

"I suppose so. It has been quite a day and I'm tired Elliot. I would like to resume my sleep." Blood addressed the incubus boredly with his characteristic suave smile, knowing best when not to cross the line when dealing with the principal, while his right-hand man sulked disapprovingly.

"Get Alice to the infirmary, quick." Nightmare instructed Peter as Blood herded his Shields back to their territory. The albino man nodded.

"Alice, please be ok…" He whispered anxiously as he gently carried Alice in his arms and ran to get medical help.

Once the white rabbit disappeared from his sight, Nightmare returned to his concern at hand.

"You will learn to live being Alice's Shield." His molten silver orbs peered from behind his eye-patch as the young mafia leader stopped in his tracks, his back facing towards Nightmare while clutching at his arm wound.

"And if you dare hurt her, you will face the penalty of the game." Nightmare warned with a deadly tone, earning him vicious looks from Elliot and the twins who turned to glare at him while Blood replied.

"I've got my own agenda regarding the young lady. But don't worry, I won't touch her… _yet_."

Without turning around, a sly smile curved Bloods lips as he continued to walk away uncaringly as his three Shields followed guardedly behind.

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"Because fortunately, the Foreigner just made this game a _whole_ lot more interesting…"

.

.

.

A familiar purple and green haze filled her surroundings, embracing her as it danced formlessly around. But it did nothing to comfort the girl who cradled her knees close to her body.

Alice knew where she was, but she was tired. She wanted so much to hide, away from all the confusion and chaos that just happened.

She wanted to sleep. But here in Dreamland, she was too wide awake instead.

_Alice… this is all your fault…_

"_**No it isn't. You were just trying to survive. It's part of the game."**_

_I killed them… they're dead because of me…_

"_**No they're not. They're still alive. Because you saved them, Alice."**_

_I clearly shot them. How do you know?_ The other voice in her head was beginning to irate her.

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"_**Silly Alice…I know everything, because I'm the caterpillar of Wonderland remember?"**_

_._

Alice finally opened her eyes then and lifted her head from her knees to see Nightmare, kneeling in front of her and smiling gently as they floated.

"Yes Alice, really." The incubus patted her fair head reassuringly, removing her doubts and Alice finally allowed herself to heave a deep sigh of relief.

She wiped off brief tears of joy, taking a deep breath before asking, "What… happened back there?"

"You forged a Contract with Blood Dupre. _Shadow Rose_ came in contact with your blood when you touched it. It is the basis for all bond- forming." Explained Nightmare as he took her hand and helped Alice to her feet.

_My blood? Right… I was bleeding all over…._ Alice figured, looking down at her now cleaned hands.

"However a Contract can only be triggered if the Shield willingly gives his or her True Name to the mutually accepted Master, and there must be a strong connection between the two." The incubus continued, keen eyes watching her reaction.

"A connection…? No…There's no such thing between me and him." Alice insisted fiercely. _Blood must have reminded me too much of _him_. But it still doesn't make sense… Hmfp! Whatever! _Connect_ with that…that barbarian! Over my dead body! _She fumed at being reminded of the atrocious actions of the Mafia Lord.

Nightmare sniggered but her insidious stare silenced him instantly.

"S-such language… shouldn't you be more lady-like?" He flinched at the very vivid verbal assault hurled in her mind.

"_Lady-like_?" Alice sarcastically repeated as she raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't know that women are judged by their range of vocabulary. But I can assure you that my language skills are quite sufficient and _very_ approriate for _ladies _these days, shall I show you more?" She retorted while cracking her knuckles.

"N-no thanks..." Nightmare rejected. He cleared his throat as he carried on. "But if you chose to believe that there is nothing between you and the Hatter then so it shall be. Here, wear this."

And just as he did for her white gun, Alice saw the principal fashion out a silver metal bracelet from the air with a wave of his hand. The circlet was of medium width, allowing enough space for the intricate swirls and interlinking designs of a heart, diamond, clover and spade around it, the engraved lines tinted in a light blue hue. And along the middle of the bracelet was a dark obsidian circular gem. The gleaming piece of jewelry opened and clasped gently around her wrist as Alice stared at it in surprise and awe.

"It's a Enhancer that will help facilitate the magical link between you and your Shields, as well as to increase your energy levels against theirs if they don't obey." Nightmare began explaining, ignoring Alice who was look at him with eyes and mouth wide open.

"It can't be helped since you skipped Stage 1 of the Shield Summoning process-"

"What? ! There isn't going to be anymore Contracts! And no way am I going to summon _Shadow Rose _again!" The foreigner protested, aghast.

"Alice, in this game you have to grow stronger-"

"It's a game I never wanted to take part in." She grabbed his kerchief and violently pulled the frail man down to her eye level, rattling him in frustration. "And I don't want to grow stronger… I want to go home!"

"Urgh…Alice-"

"I don't belong here Nightmare!" she yelled, trying to make the paling man see reason when suddenly…

"A-Alice I-... hurrrrrrrrrgh!"

"Uaaaah! N-nightmare!"

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Alice grimaced, half disgusted and half sympathetic as she patted a very green- looking Nightmare's back while he wrapped himself up in a blanket-cocoon. _Then that means the red 'ink' on the acceptance paper wasn't actually ink? Ew! And I touched it more than once too! _

"I'm sorry." She told him apologetically.

"It's nothing, I'm fine…" He waved her worries off while wiping the remaining blood from his mouth. "You… just shook me too hard… that's all…"

"But seriously Nightmare, needles or not, you should really go to the hospital before you actually die." Alice told him with a deadpanned face. With that much blood loss it was already a wonder that he's still alive.

"No way." Nightmare childishly huffed with a serious tone and turned his head away from her. "And you can't make me!"

"Well you can't make me stay here either!" Alice countered stubbornly before falling silent again. The incubus waited patiently for the girl to speak, even though he could already read what was bothering her.

"What's the meaning of keeping me here when I don't have a True Name, let alone use a weapon?" Alice despondently began. "I'm not like any of you at all."

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"It is _precisely_ because you are not, that there is a reason, a _need,_ for you to be here." He told her softly.

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"Can you not speak in riddles for once?" She tapered her blue-green eyes at him, confusion already gnawing at her patience.

"And I thought you'd be smart enough to figure this out." The man smirked, teasing her deliberately…

PAT PAT PAT!

…but was quickly subdued in heavy bouts of cough as the pressure on his back intensively increased.

"B-but you're adapting to this world considerably well!" Nightmare quickly added in order to save his life. "Alice must be amazing to be able to survive the first three days of school."

Alice grumbled. "That's not exactly the compliment I'd want after being ambushed at every corner and stairs, and nearly getting shot, sliced, diced-"

"-Stoned, strangled and stabbed to death. But of course, I should know." He hinted as he smiled and tapped a finger to his head. "And to be able to keep yourself alive all these while is not something any ordinary Foreigner could achieve." In fact, in Wonderland High, it is almost impossible…

.

_But not for Alice._

_._

He thought to himself, contemplating the extent of the Foreigner's power as admiration for the girl's persevering qualities grew steadily.

"Hmpf!" Alice gave a disagreeing grunt as her hands went to massage her calves. Although in Dreamland, her body was unconsciously reminding her of its aches. _And if that doesn't kill me, then the muscle cramps from all that running certainly will!_

"Allow me to send you into a peaceful sleep before it does then." Monitoring her ever-entertaining thoughts, Nightmare chuckled as he offered helpfully.

"Please do." She bluntly replied, giving him an 'Isn't-that-obvious?' look. But Alice managed to slip in a few more words before Nightmare could bring his hands together.

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"And thanks… Nightmare..."

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No matter how annoying or odd he may seem, she knew that the incubus-cum-principal was always looking out for her. And just knowing that there was at least one person in Wonderland High she could count on to be her friend lifted the heaviness on her heart.

Nightmare stared at Alice, stunned for a moment by her admittance and the genuine trust he was reading off of her, before smiling at her affectionately.

"Anytime. Sweet dreams… Alice."

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_CLAP._

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**I's not as long as the last chapter but I hope it's ok :) Plus this chapter will conclude the ending of the first episode. But don't worry, as many of you would have probably read in my poll, I already have the next episode planned out! Well... sorta lol!**

**Sneak summary for next episode and chapter:** Alice wakes up in the infirmary, one guess who's the doctor!^^ And Nightmare tells her to visit the Hearts student commitee to discuss about the unusual nature of her Contracts with the lovely *cough*and deadly *cough* President, who is non other then the arch rival of the Hatter faction. How will Alice get caugh in between the next territorial shoot out? And will she Contract another Shield? Find out next!

**Thank you so much again for reading and reviewing! Reviews really encourage me to write faster and longer chapters lol! Don't forget to check out the poll results by the end of this week! I'll be trying my best so till we meet in the next issue! :) **


	5. The Awakening

**Yes, it is me, back from being buried under tons of homework and still alice and kicking! Sorry it took so long for this chapter since I was previously busy with a forum contest fic called _The White Rabbit's Voice_, go check it out if you like! ^^**

**Thank you so much for voting in my poll and reviewing the stories! You can check the results on my profile but it's pretty clear that _Wonderland High _won first! So as promised, I rushed this next chapter out once I had the time! (Yes, I put my work aside all for you :'D)**

**Thanks for waiting, and though it's not as long as the previous chapter, I hope you'll enjoy this too! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything HnKnA except for my story plot.**

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**Chapter 5: The Awakening**

_._

_Heavy… it's very heavy..._

Alice thought, becoming more aware of the pressure on top of her that making it difficult for her to move. The weight on her grew increasingly restricting and suffocating as her consciousness steadily arose from her slumber.

_It's uncomfortable… I can barely breathe! _

Her brows furrowed, frowning in worry as she tried to inhale deeply despite the constriction she felt. Riding through her initial panic, her eyes slowly opened, curious to know the cause of her discomfort…

Only to find a certain white-haired and bunny-eared youth sound asleep on top of her stomach, his arms around her waist guarding her closely.

"Hmmm… oh Alice…if you insist…" cooed the sleeping White Rabbit with an idiotic grin on his face as he nuzzle against her body, holding her even nerve twitched with disgusted and annoyance.

"Get. Off. Me. PETER!" With two hands, she pulled back and gave a hard and quick shove.

**_Bump!_**

Peter tumbled backwards wincing as he massaged his butt. But when he adjusted his specs on his nose, his startled red eyes soon widened with joy.

"Alice!"

_Oh crap._

Alice grimaced, bracing herself as the overjoyed Peter lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her in a deathly tight hug. "Alice! You're awake! I was so worried for you! Are you ok now my love?" He tearfully asked with genuine concern though it made goosebumps appear on the back of her neck.

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"She won't be if you keep strangling her like that."

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A deep timbre voice interrupted the reunion and both of them turned their heads to see a man in a white coat, long raven-smooth locks tumbling about his shoulder and ponytail, and a clock- earring clipped and dangled from his left ear.

"Mr...Monrey?" Alice recognized and she hastily gave him a quick nod for courtesy. However, he just gave her a cold shoulder and azure eyes turned away without acknowledgement.

_Good grief, he's still so rude for a doctor! _She pouted as she watched Julius Monrey pull away the curtain-partitioning that hug from the ceiling, taking in the view of the small room. Clocks of different shapes and sizes hung on the walls, a messy looking desk filled with tools, pens and pieces of metal sat beside the window at the corner of the room with a shelf filled with yellow medical record files, and there were two other empty and pristine-looking white beds alongside hers.

_Seems like I landed myself in the infirmary again… _Alice sighed to herself, one hand rubbing at her her head from the headache caused from sleeping for too long, the other trying to pry herself out of Peter's grip.

"I'm not strangling her! It's called _'the_ _hug of love'_, something _you_ wouldn't understand!" Peter glared and defended fiercely as he pulled Alice further into his arms protectively. His sudden action caused Alice to let out a small choking sound, her hands pushing futilely against his chest.

"I don't have to understand to know it's not only life threatening but gross." The Clockmaster folded his arms and raised a sarcastic eyebrow at a scowling girl as Peter obliviously begins to persistently rub his cheek against hers. "Now get out. You've disturbed my work ever since you brought her here."

_Ever since?_ The words struck realization, and having finally succeeded in freeing herself from Peter, she reached out and tugged the hem of the doctor's white coat before he could move away. Julius glanced back down at her.

"How long was I out?" Alice asked, her throat suddenly feeing dry and parched from the lack of use.

"Not long, just two days." He replied.

"Two whole days?" She rhetorically cried out, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at him. An awkward pause between them made her realize he was staring at her hand that was still latched on the edge of his coat. Her cheeks flushed with mortification and she quickly let go of the fabric and Julius cleared his throat.

"Two whole noisy, bothersome days." The ravenette corrected and grumbled under his breath as he made his way to his table and seated himself in his chair.

"Damn, I must already be behind my homework!" Alice sighed and palmed her face in exasperation. It was already bad enough that she was new to the school; she didn't want to allow her teacher and classmates of having the satisfaction to blame her for slowing down the class performance.

_And Peter stayed with me too…_ Frowning at the thoughts, she tilted her head down to cover her pained gaze with her bangs. As much as he annoyed her, Alice just couldn't live with it if she were to implicate him too for being this weak.

.

**_"…in this game you have to grow stronger…"_**

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Nightmare's voice rang in her head and she gripped at her blanket, conflicted yet determined_. I don't know how… _She told herself. _But Alice, you definitely cannot, will not, allow yourself to stay the way you are now. You really can't, it'll only hurt others…_

_._

_Just like everyone else back home._

_._

"Now you see that she's fine will you please leave. She still needs her rest." Julius coldly demanded Peter as he leaned back against his chair and sipped at his steaming cup of coffee.

"Actual Mr Monrey, I-"

"I'm not going unless I can confirm that Alice is absolutely feeling better!" Peter intervened before she could finish her sentence, pointing accusingly at Julius.

"I'm _absolutely_ feeling better." Alice re-emphasized nonchalantly, flinging aside the blanket.

"I'll stay by her side till she can move on her own!" Peter insisted while he continued to glower at the doctor, whose vein was popping with untold irritation.

"I can move on my own, see." Alice gladly demonstrated and hopped off the bed.

"And I'll never leave her till she says she love me!"

"Then I'll say I lov- HEY!"

**_Smack! _**A fluffy white pillow flew and landed straight in Peter's grinning face.

"…"

Julius massaged his temple, annoyed at the disturbance in his office while Alice huffed and collected herself, straightening her blue uniform skirt and putting on her blazer that was hung on the back of the chair beside the bed, flipping her long blonde hair clear of her collar.

"Peter, seriously, I'm fine, alright? And don't you have two days worth of work waiting for you back at the committee club room?"

The vice president of the Hearts committee pulled a face at the harsh reminder. "Yes… but Alice, dearest, you just woke up…" he desolately said and his white furry ears hung down by the side of his head in disappointment.

"Stop calling me that." She reprimanded dryly, feeling too tired to argue. "And don't worry, I'm just going to wrap things up here and rush for my first class anyway." The fair-headed girl told him, flashing him a gentle smile that made a blush tint his cheeks.

"And besides, I like hardworking rabbits." She cunningly added.

"Really! Then I'll be off to work first Alice!" Bunny ears perked up happily and he gave her another quick hug.

"Right. Please… go quickly." She shooed him, telling herself to be nice as she urged him out of the room. "And… thanks for taking care of me, Peter."

Peter looked at her in bewilderment, then beaming back at her so much she swore she could see him glowing with hearts flying about him. "Anything for my sweetheart!" The rabbit-man told her, effectively causing another bout of goosebumps to appear on her arms before he rushed off and disappeared out of the door.

"Jeeze, that guy sure is a handful." Sighing in relief, Alice wiped at her forehead and bent down to start packing up and checking the contents in her school bag.

"You're going?"

She heard Julius ask, slightly surprise that he would break his silence since he would never inquire about her except with regards to her injuries whenever she came to him for medical treatment, which was becoming pretty much on a daily basis.

"Yeah, I've slept enough and my wounds have healed, thanks to you. And besides, I shouldn't disturb you any longer, I'm sorry I've troubled you again."

"No reason to. It's part of my job, though it would save me a lot of effort if you'd stop putting yourself into these sort of dangers. One would think you actually like getting hurt." He replied sardonically while taking a broken clock from a box on his table to fix. Though she should already be used to his sarcasm by now, the corner of Alice's mouth still twitched with irritation. "But then again I guess you can't help it, you're a foreigner after all."

Alice paused in her actions and contemplated a loud as she regarded the older man casually.

.

"…Do you hate me?"

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Without looking up from his work, Julius answered with an indifferent tone. "I wouldn't concern myself with something so trifle and childish. Unless you intend to hinder my work." He said, dark blue eyes shooting a brief warning look in her direction.

Alice just knelt on the ground, stunned for a moment. She was becoming so used to being hated she hadn't expected that from him, and she could feel the weight on her heart lifting just a bit.

"Wouldn't dream of it then." She assured, smirking at him even as he went back to his task and mumbling something about how she was such a nuisance.

She dug from her bag her timetable and took out the exercise book for her next lesson. But just as she was about to place it on the bed's side table, she noticed her blue ribbon laying there, neatly folded with not a single tear.

"My ribbon! But… it… how?" Alice stuttered and gasped, inspecting it carefully in her hands. Julius turned about his chair to see what the commotion was about.

"There's no reason to be so loud over that." He scolded her with an angry frown. "Peter brought it in. I notice you've always worn it so I thought you might want it fixed." He explained, taking down his spectacle and crossing his leg as he reached for his cup again to sooth his nerves.

"B-but there's no stitches on it!" She declared in amazement, earning a flinch from Julius at the shrill volume of her voice as she looked closer at the flimsy piece of cloth that was supposedly slashed up. _Did he sew this himself? The workmanship is incredible; it's almost looks brand new!"_

"Did you want stitches on such an accessory? You're pretty strange for a woman." Slightly amused, Julius quirked an eyebrow at her, giving her a queer look. "And besides, my powers don't leave stitches. That would be unsightly."

_Power?_ Curious teal eyes looked at him but before she could question the man further, a faceless female staff knocked on the infirmary's door and entered with a humble bow, but not before passing a disapproving glance at Alice.

_Adults are** so** mature… yeah right! They just as bad!_ Alice rolled her eyes at the usual treatment, before she was reminded of Nightmare and Julius's more neutral attitude towards her. _Okay, probably not all of them…_

"Mr Monrey, the principle would like to speak to you in his office now."

"Humph…That idiotic man can't do a single thing himself and he wants to run a school." Shaking his head, Julius snorted in derision and got off his seat, wiping his hands clean on a wash cloth on his table. "You can go if you're done Alice, just close the infirmary door behind you."

With that he left with the faceless woman, leaving Alice alone in a room filled with the ticking of the clocks.

_I wonder what kind of power Mr Monrey has…_ Alice pondered, her fingers mindlessly caressing the blue ribbon in awe at its flawless surface. She placed her ribbon together with her school book on the table and secured the chain of her gun to her skirt's belt loop. But upon raising her head, she sees something long, furry and orange peeking in from the side of the doorway, and she smiled to herself knowingly.

"Elliot, is that you?"

The long appendages jumped in astonishment and the owner revealed himself. "Alice! How d'ya know it was me?"

"Your ears were sticking out." Alice couldn't help but giggle as she pointed at the betraying reason to his presence.

"Darn it." The March Hare blushed and grumbled in embarrassment.

"Are you looking for Mr Monrey?" She asked in place of the Clockmaster.

"Hell no! Why would I? !" The unexpected and angry outburst made her jump while Elliot fumed childishly and ranted on, curling his fingers around an invisible neck. "I hate that guy! He's mean, sarcastic and anti-social… and, and… the sight of him just irks me!"

"Erm…Then you're here for…?" Alice asked softly while clutching at her bag, hoping not to agitate the rabbit-eared man further.

Elliot blinked at her and regained his usual self, scratching at his head. "Ah, well actually that's why I was kinda hoping to catch you while he's away." And suddenly, he took out a small white box from behind and presented in right in front of her face. "Here, for you!"

"Oh! Erm.. T-thanks?" Taken aback by the generous gesture, she slowly raised her hands to take the box from him and opened the lid.

_Oh, it's a…_She sniffed at the content of the box before looking back at him inquisitively. "A…carrot cake?"

"You like it? Go on, take a bite!" The orange- haired boy grinned widely and urged her enthusiastically. "The canteen at the Hatter's dorm serve the most delicious carrot cakes!"

_Is it… poisoned?_ She looked at the food skeptically, reminding herself that the person before her _is_ from the Mafia. When she return her gaze to his face, Alice knew immediately it was a mistake to look at his puppy dog eyes that was swirling with eagerness, but by then it was too late.

She quickly lost the last of her restrain and took a nibble.

"It's… pretty good!" Alice admitted, her blue-green eyes widened at the taste that was overflowing her mouth. Her stomach growled hungrily since she hasn't eaten breakfast yet and she took another welcoming bite at the orange cake.

"I knew you'd like it! Everyone likes carrot cakes!" He excitedly said, his ears flapping up and down in delight. "It's my way of thanking you for protecting Blood the other time, you did well for a second year. That was some weird summoning you did back there!"

"And I pray it won't happen again." Alice's expression deadpanned at the thought of a certain outrageous Mafioso as she chewed gratefully at the cake, before it occurred to her, _wouldn't he be angry like Blood too?_

"Elliot, that Contract with Blood, I didn't mean to do it." Alice hurriedly added. "I don't even know why or how it happened."

"Yeah, Nightmare told us. I would have thought Blood would want to take action against you but he hasn't made a single move yet, which is kinda weird for him since he never hesitates." Elliot cupped his chin thoughtfully, tilting his head at Alice and causing his ears to sway along with it to the side. "I mean, Blood even sent me to check on you to see if you're awake!"

Alice nearly choked, pausing midway from putting the cake in her mouth again. "Erm… Elliot? Then this cake is…" She trailed off fearfully. _Please don't tell me it's really from Blood, he can't be **that **concerned about me! And I ate so much of it too! Stupid me! _

"The cake? Oh, that's actually a small portion of my breakfast, don't worry about it! I've still got plenty left in my bag if you want!" Elliot passionately offered, to which she quickly declined and resumed eating her piece with great caution.

"But as long as Blood's fine with you then I guess you're pretty okay in my book too!" He concluded with a big smile.

"I-I see." _So if he isn't I'd probably be shot dead by you now huh…_She wryly thought to herself and forced a smile back for him. "Oh, by the way, how's Blood?" Suddenly remembering that he was hurt during their last encounter, Alice asked before she could stop herself. She bit back her tongue, almost wishing she hadn't acknowledged her worries for such an impossible man.

"Eh, Blood? He's fine!" Elliot reassured confidently with a wave of his hand. "Blood's one of the strongest people I've seen so he won't be defeated that easily! But he's been acting weird ever since that day ya know. He looks more pissed off, yet at the same time he's in deep thought a lot too. But he won't talk to me about it. Tch…It kinda worries me." The Hare frowned deeply and let out a sigh of resignation, running a hand roughly through his wavy ginger tresses.

_He really thinks of his Master a lot, that's nice... Now why can't Blood be the same? _Alice peeled another bite-size piece of cake off and plopped it into her mouth, wrinkling her nose disdainfully at that unbidden thought before addressing Elliot was a kind smile."You're a very attentive Shield, Elliot. He's very lucky to have you."

Big purple eyes look back at her in consideration before it squinted with laughter. "Ha ha ha! You really think so?" He scratched at his cheek sheepishly and looking out of the infirmary's window. "Actually it's more like I'm lucky to have him as my Master. Blood's a great guy! I'd do anything for him!"

_This **is** the same Blood we're talking about right?_ Alice looked at Elliot, puzzled at the strange sense of devotion and admiration that was practically pouring out of the man. But soon, something else caught her attention…

It was his rabbit ears that were twitching about happily.

_Bunny! Bunny! So cute~!_ Squealing silently to herself, she licked her fingers clean of the orange crumbs as she sneaked up behind Elliot. Feeling extremely grabby, she inched a hand slowly towards his ears when a clock on the wall began to chime.

"Uah! My class is about to start! Thanks for the cake Elliot!"Alice realized in alarm and quickly stuffed the rest of the delicious warm confectionary in her mouth, gobbling it down before snatching up her belongings.

"Oh crap, mine too! I'll run with you!" Elliot offered, following behind. But just as they reached the door, a flash of red and brown ran into the room and in her haste, Alice blindly collided with it and together, they stumbled and fell onto the floor.

_What the hell was that? _Alice groaned in pain at the impact and touched her head tersely, while a hand readied itself by the handle of her gun. She sluggishly opened her eyes, only to see that it wasn't a 'what' but a 'who'.

A 'who' with a mop of silky russet hair and a pair of crimson eyes to be precise.

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**It's no surprise who I'll write next ^^. How will he treat her? What's Julius's power? Your guess is as good as mine! XD The next chapter will also be pretty introductory so I hope it's not too dejavu like this one -_-"' So please bear with me.**

**Up Next: **She's getting friendly with some role-holders, but is it really that easy? And two other role-holders will be added to her life, can you guess who the other one is? ^^

**Please note: **Assuming Alice have already been briefed, so she knows the true nature of Julius's work already. Plus she's in second year, placed according to her age though she is new, thus she feels the need to catch up. And she was more on familiar terms with Nightmare while still being formal with Julius, thus adressing him more like a teacher as we normally would.

**I'm actually not very satisfied with how this chapter was written so if you have any comments on how to improve my writing or anything do let me know! And I may have to go back to work for a while though I've already planned out the next chapter, so please, DO REVIEW! Cos it really helps motivate me to update faster, otherwise my attention will go to the next fic on the poll or my work T-T.**

**Thanks again for reading, reviewing and tuning in to this story! Till next time! ^^P**


	6. The Alike

**I'm back for another quickie chapter! And because it's my favourite character I just had to do this before I go on to other update fufufu~! ^^ For those who are still catching up on this story, thanks so much for liking it, reading and reviewing it! I really appreciate it! This chapter again will still be introductory so please bear with me! T-T**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HnKnA except for my story plot.**

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**Chapter 6: The Alike**

_._

_Urgh…_ Alice moaned from underneath in pain and from the weight above her. _First Peter and now this? Stop treating me like a human pillow for God's sake!_

The disorientated guy on top of Alice propped himself up on his elbows, wincing a little. His soft, short, tanned hair tickled her cheek and nose with every movement. "Man, that was pretty rough! Am I late for class? Where's everyone?" He asked, examining the area around him with a perplexed look.

The stark and bright hue of his uniform hurt her eyes for a moment, before teal orbs widened with trepidation at the sight of the familiar color and arm band pinned on his sleeve. _Red blazer…someone from the Hearts Committee? _Automatically, Alice went into defensive mode, her fingers silently removed her white gun from its holster.

Instantly, as if he knew, sharp, molten, ruby eyes swerved down and pinned her gaze, immobilizing her. She sucked in her breath audibly, her gun-hand froze in its place. But when she blinked a second later, the ruthlessness on his face disappeared, as if she was never threatened. Instead, the hardness of his features had softened into a boyish look and he blinked at her.

"Huh? Aren't you the Foreigner? What are you doing in the Third year's classroom?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"W-wha-? Ah... y-yeah..." She replied, equally confused and blinking back at him. _What… just happened?_ She asked herself. Alice was sure she had felt the strength of his magical aura for a split second, yet now there are no traces of it and he appears to be normal…

_Too normal in fact… _There was something about his energy, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was one thing for sure…

_This person… _her brain began piecing her knowledge up as she assessed his appearance warily. _Brown hair, red eyes… and a role-holder from the Hearts committee… could he be…_

"This isn't the classroom Ace, it's the infirmary!" An exasperated March Hare stood at the side watching the two on the ground, slapping his forehead with frustration. "How many times must I drill that into that messed-up brain of yours? !"

"Oh, hey Elliot!" Ace chirped jovially with such a refreshing and youthful sense that threw Alice's guard off completely. "Ah, is that right? No wonder I thought the classroom looked a bit different and smaller!" He laughed good-naturedly, though the scowl Elliot wore clearly told Alice that the hare didn't share the same sentiments.

_Is he... an idiot?_ She eyed the new visitor satirically. _How could anyone mistake the infirmary for a classroom? _

"Ne, Julius doesn't seem to be around." Ace realized as he scanned about, searching for the Clockmaster. "So what are you both doing in the infirmary alone? Are you with the girl?" He asked Elliot, though he grinned down at Alice wolfishly.

_The nerve! I'm not that kind of girl! _Though she could feel her face burning from the way he looked at her, Alice pushed at his chest and sat herself up, swiftly pulling her skirt down to her knee and censured him with a stern look that made him grin even more as he sat back on the floor with her.

"Huh? What do ya mean by with the gir-" Elliot started out innocently, but his face soon flushed a bright crimson. "W-what kinda crap are you talking about? Me and Alice would never… T-that's not how it looks like!"

"Isn't that a bit too quick to deny?" Alice chided him with her hands on her hips, pretending to pout angrily while enjoying his flustered reaction. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough? I'm truly offended Elliot."

"A-alice! N-no, that's not what I meant!" The ginger-headed man pleaded frantically.

_Elliot's so predictable!_ She giggled silently to herself and congratulated herself at a job well-done for teasing him thoroughly.

"Eh… you're blushing a lot, that's cute!" Ace joined in, gleefully pointing at Elliot's now severely red face.

"Shut your trap knight!" Elliot bite out, shaking a large fist in Ace's face who continued to laugh at his expense, feeling nothing less then undaunted.

"Ha ha ha! He's the shy type!" Ace whispered to Alice, giving her a sporting wink and she couldn't help but laugh along with him.

_This is nice… maybe he's not as bad as I've heard…_ Alice thought to herself, smiling back at him. How long has it been since she felt this sort of camaraderie? She didn't know, but her heart was sure that this would be how having friends felt like...

_If only I could find more of such feelings in this school…_ She thought wistfully.

"Hey, so you're the Alice everyone's talking about huh, I'm Ace! I'm in the Third Year class just like Elliot." The red-eyed man introduced, prodding a thumb to his chest proudly while flashing her a warm and wide smile while the both ignored the grumbling March Hare.

_Well, that's a first... _she realised since no other student would actually bother to initiate a friendship without actually trying to kill her first.

"Ace… you're the Head Prefect of the school am I right?" Alice confirmed, tilting her head at him.

While Peter White is the Vice President and the leader of the Administrative Division, the title of 'Knight' was the highest position to be bestowed on a student from the Disciplinary Division in the Hearts Student Committee. And from what she had read in the school handbook, a common 'Soldier' prefect can only attain that rank by passing a grueling and gruesome test set by the President. And thus far, there has only been one such person to be able to pass such a test, entitling him the strongest fighter in the school and the control over the prefects of the Disciplinary Division.

And that person is the man right before her, the man with a goofy smile, a light-hearted disposition and a brain that couldn't even tell left from right to save his life…_Things just don't add up around here do they? _

"Oh, so you know?" His ruby eyes widened in surprise, his mouth forming an 'O' as he scratched at his head sheepishly. " Ha ha ha! Didn't think I was that famous!"

"You have no idea…" Alice replied with a raised eyebrow, the corner of her lips twitching as she prevented herself from grimacing. Most role-holders like him were very popular, especially among the female population. The faceless either loved or feared them and Ace's fame and reputation was among those in the top, almost in par with Blood Dupre…

_Or so I've heard. _She contemplated, not sure if her information had been wrong. What do the girls in her class see in role-holders like him? _He looks like a pretty normal guy to me…_

Again, the word 'normal' somehow manages to seem misplaced, and Alice just couldn't figure out why...

"Say, Alice, tell me something will you!" Ace's eager voice snaps her attention back to him and she looks at him questioningly. "Hm?"

"You see, I've always wanted to know…"

"Huh? Wha-" Her voice cut off, stifling a squeak when Ace moved over her in a blink of an eye. Surprised, Alice shuffled backwards instinctively until her back reaches the end of Julius's desk. Ace smirked triumphantly and levered a hand against the table beside her, effectively caging the girl.

"Hey, Alice…tell me…are you really a _No Name_?" His once cheery voice grew dangerously low, leaning his face closer to her own.

_W-wait…Ace…? _Alice's sea-green orbs grew large at the familiar feeling of threat that was quickly rising, terror choking her throat. How could she even forget that fierce intensity of his dark aura? _Alice, you're a fool to believe you're safe! _She reprimanded herself as she stared into his cold and dead crimson eyes.

"How does it feel, being hated by everyone?" The Knight of the Hearts Committee asked, whispering into her ear in a deadly and dreadful seduction while he removed his hand from the table and wrapped finger-by-finger around her neck, his thumb caressing the side of her throat.

_Help. _It was all she could think of, her own futile and silent plea when her own voice was drowned and lost in her fright. Her hand reached for her gun again but he immediately anticipated it and his other hand grabbed hold of her wrist and forced it to the side of her head, pinning it against the table.

"Oi." Elliot warned, but the brown-haired youth only inched his body closer, crowding Alice so much she thought she would suffocate just from the immense and thick magical energy flowing out of him. And then, his lips hovered right above hers, the distance so close she could feel his warm breath fanning her clammy skin. She was certain she would have blushed if her life had not been on the line.

"Is it true that you Contracted Blood against his will? That's not a very nice thing to do isn't it?" Ace continued to interrogate the Foreigner with a mock light tone, his eerie smile never leaving his mouth.

Elliot narrowed his mauve eyes cautiously at his classmate and frowned. "Ace, you…"

"You wish to be the same as everyone else, don't you?" Oblivious to the rabbit-eared man, Ace persisted in his question, his voice dropping an octave lower as he steadily increased the pressure of his thumb on her throat with each slow and tormenting stroke.

Alice found herself not being able to break away from his dark gaze. _How devoid of emotions could a man get, before he loses himself like this?_ She asked herself, even as she mustered courage to resist the intimidation, her free hand gripping her skirt in an attempt to regain control of her body…

"Ne, Alice…"

But it failed and her body stilled itself when she felt Ace's thumb traveled up her neck, lining her jaw and smoothed itself over her full bottom lip. She didn't dare move an inch as he rubbed his thumb back and forth from one corner of her lips to the other end. A slight tremble erupted from within her instinctively and she pressed her eyes shut against it while he smiled to himself, satisfied.

.

"Maybe…just maybe… you're the same as me…"

.

Upon hearing those words, she opened her eyes just as his fingers left her face. Alice could only watch in apprehension, yet mesmerized, finally feeling blood rushing to her cheeks as Ace brought his thumb to his lips and his tongue licked sinfully at the small orange crumbs collected on his thumb.

"Hm? Carrot cake? Do you have more? I'm starving!" He asked like a child would for a candy and once again before her eyes, his cheerful personality reverted back so quickly she found it hard to keep up with him.

_What the heck is with this guy! Is he bi-polar or something? _She thought to herself, sighing in relief that he wasn't threatening to choke her now a least.

_**RIIIIIIIIIING!**_

"Shit! Now we're late!" Orange ears jumped agitatedly as Elliot cursed.

Suddenly, Ace's head snaps up, looking out of the infirmary window instead with a knowing smirk. "Guess we're not the only ones who's late tho-Hey!" Elliot had grabbed Ace's collar and roughly pulled him away from Alice.

"Stop flirting with her and let's go!"

"Aw, are you jealous already? See, Elliot's a really nice guy Alice!" Ace encouraged the stupefied girl with a sly grin even as the hare dragged him across the floor backwards, already making his way to class.

"S-shuddup, you idiot! I'm not 'nice' and I'm definitely **not** jealous!" Elliot hotly retorted, giving a violent tug at the collar to silence that loudmouth of a knight, even though it only gave him an insignificant gag and an annoying chuckle from Ace. Elliot turned around and the two waved back at her.

"I'll see ya around Alice!"

"Bye Alice! Hey Elliot, I think your ears are turning red!"

"N-no they're not! I'm telling teacher it's your entire fault we're late!"

"Hey wait, I know a shortcut!"

"No you friggin' **don't**!"

Shaken, Alice smiled and waved weakly as she stared in disbelieve at the bantering duo, not sure what to make out of what just happened. Ace's touch still lingered on her and gingerly, she felt about her neck for reassurance.

_Same? What did Ace mean by 'same'? In what way am I like him?_ Furrows formed between her brows. She couldn't comprehend the paradoxical nature the Knight just showed her, but she was right, there was one thing for sure…

Ace scares her.

Blood did too, but while the young Mafioso controlled her fear with power, Ace ruled her fear with, ironically…fear.

A second chime resounded loudly from one of the clocks hanging on the wall, knocking the realization of reality back into her chaotic mind.

Alice gasped. "Great, now I'm late too! Not good, not good!" She hurriedly snatched her bag off the floor and ran at full speed to her next class, closing the door behind and praying that the rest of the day would hopefully pass by less eventfully.

.

.

.

"_Great, now I'm late too! Not good, not good!"_

Purple-pink cat ears twitched, ember eyes following the sound of the girl's voice. He swung his leg back and forth and swayed his tail lazily from his perch on the tree branch that gave him a wonderful inside view of the infirmary from the window.

"Heh… so _that's_ Alice." He grinned to himself and licked his lips. The punk-looking boy had silently entertained himself by observing her for a couple of minutes now… waiting and planning for an opportune moment, like a cat would when toying with a mouse.

Finally, he watched closely as the Foreigner took her bag and left with the sound of closing door. His hands grabbed the branch he was sitting on firmly and he pushed himself off. As he dropped, he flipped his hold on the bough, allowing the momentum to rock him back up. Landing and balancing his feet atop the branch, he skillfully aimed for the opened window and took a pounce.

As his body flew and closed the distance between the tree and the building, his hands reached out to grip the top of the window sill and he swung his flexible body through the opening and landed agilely with a graceful, noiseless crouch, his decorated tail flicking about excitedly.

His sharp nose then sniffed at the air and his fluffy, stripped boa rustled against his neck as he stood up.

"No wonder I smelt something curiously…_delicious_." Boris Airay purred, smirking as he gave a lick at the blood on the back of his hand from a recent scratch which he had earned earlier during his usual chase with the Hearts Committee 'Soldiers'. But the prefects didn't put up much of a fight today; the game was getting boring…

_Time for me to find a new playmate… _He grinned to himself as he entertained that thought, sauntering to Julius's desk and poking about at the tools and files absentmindedly, before something on the floor caught his attention.

"Oh? Is this her's?" He shove the ends of his boa and the corners of his blue blazer back, bending down to pick the sky-blue ribbon and an exercise book that littered the otherwise clean floor. He turned the items about in his hands, checking it out.

Cat-eyes widened in revelation when he recognized the registered class noted on the cover of the book and soon, Boris's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "I'd better give this to her later then."

Suddenly, his ears perked at attention when he detected angry voices coming from outside the window.

"Where's that stupid stray gone too now!"

"I know I saw him come by here, he shouldn't be far!"

"He's not going to get away with making a fool out of us this time!"

Boris snickered, looking down from the window and enjoying fact that he had once again bested the prefects as they rushed past him. He stuck a tongue out at them and skipped backwards to the infirmary door, tucking his new-found objects in his arm. Humming a carefree tune, his long tail trailed behind him as he let himself out, curling the fuzzy tip around the doorknob and pulling the door close.

.

* * *

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**Here enters Boris! Yeah! Can you guess what he'll do next? ^^ And oh my craze for Ace, I just had to write so much about him here lol! And yeah, I figured that Alice needs to know the other characters first before she has a chance to Contract another one again (which I already have in mind her next victim XD) I'm also itching to write about the next Contract so just wait a little while more k! T-T**

**My time is sparse but I'll try to update whenever I can, and again I'd like to hear YOUR constructive comments! :) How you think about the story, the characters or if you have any suggestions or ways to improve my writing, DO REVIEW and let me know, I'd love to hear from you, plus it encourages me to continue with the story lol! Thanks for reading and I'll try my best so hope you'll continue to tune in! Till next time then! XD**


	7. The Problem

**I've actually written the front part a long time ago but was not sure how to add it in until today. It's slightly off from the sneak preview but this will open a new episode leading to that. Hope you guys out there will enjoy this chapter as well :) For those who have reviewed, thank you for the support! ^^**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything HnKnA/C/J except my words and imagination for this AU and the school.

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**Chapter 7: The Problem**

**.**

"_Class, as you would have known by now, this is Miss Alice Liddell."_

_She stood beside her teacher of her first class as he made the introductions. _He doesn't have eyes either…_ Alice noticed as she cast a nervous glance around at her classmates. But even though they were faceless, they weren't without expression…_

_Hate. _

_It was clearly written on everyone's ironically blank faces._

" _She's…_**new** _here." Her teacher implied as he cleared his throat but the whole class stayed silent. It was eerie. _

_Too silent in fact. _

"_I hope you will learn to get along so let's give her a warm welcome, shall we?" he said and clapped his hands lazily. The other students joined in unenthusiastically, some turned their heads away, uninterested, while others leered at her. _

Wow… this is as 'welcoming' as a funeral… _Alice thought wryly. _Seriously, what's with that attitude? So this was the treatment Nightmare had warned me about?_ The fingers on her bag handle clutched tightly. She _**definitely**_ wasn't about to back down without a fight._

"_Right, now that's settled, turn to page 20 of your _Fundamentals of Contracts_ book." The teacher continued in an vexed tone as he went back to scribbling words on the chalkboard, ignoring Alice who stood dumbfounded and wondering…_

"_Erm… excuse me but where will I be sitting?"_

"_Humph… you have eyes don't you? Can't you see for yourself?" He answered smugly as he pointed his chalk to an abandoned row of seats right at the back of the small classroom while his students sniggered at her._

_There were three to be precised, Alice realized as she squinted her eyes. The two on the sides looked normal but the center one was obviously abandoned for a reason. The surface was dusty and riddled with vandalism, the varnish was peeling off in an unsightly manner and the metal legs of the table and chair was badly rusted. There was another empty seat right in front but there were so many untouched books filed beneath the desk while heaps of sheets of late homework covered the top that she figured it was best to take it that it had already belonged to someone else. So she set her sights set on the more respectable-looking ones._

"_Okay then I'll just take that-"_

"_The middle one at the back is yours. The ones on the sides are already occupied." He continued writing on the board without looking at her._

"_What!" She exclaimed, her bright teal eyes flashed at her teacher in rage and disbelieve. "B-but Sir that's-"_

"_Is there a problem… __**Miss Liddell**__?" The man dared her with a crooked grin, supported by the glares from her own classmates. _

"_A __**problem**__.. Sir?" Strangely calm, her voice drawled in a deep, curling low tone. The need to challenge back rose swiftly and darkly in her. _

_.  
_

**No… you're better than that… Alice…**

_._

_A voice in her cautioned, her patience reining in her impulsive side and extinguishing the rush of power she had almost welcomed, hating it as helplessness substituted her strength._

"… _No Sir…" She answered with pursed lips._

"_That's what I thought." He sneered and returned his attention to the blackboard. Fighting her own instincts, Alice's fingers gripped her bag once again as her feet mechanically dragged themselves to her newly assigned and one-of-a-kind desk._

PLONK.

_Her hand covered the side of her head in shock. Something had hit her and looking down at her feet, she spotted a ball of scrounged up paper. _

What the-_ Alice spun around to find the culprits, only to be hit by another ball of paper on the forehead just as a group of faceless students on the left exploded with laughter._

"_The hell-! Hey!" She called out furiously to the rowdy bunch, barely dodging as another paper projectile shot across her face. _

"_What is it now!" Annoyed, the teacher demanded, breaking his chalk in two on the board and turning back to her._

"_Sir, they were throwing paper balls at me!" _Blatantly if I might add!_ The aquamarine-eyed girl pointed out triumphantly when she managed to catch one of the balls launched at her in one fist in mid-air. _Ha! That will teach them!_ She thought as she watched the perpetrators fumbling to face forward in their seats. _Right, diplomacy is the best! He must have seen them, there's no way for him to-

"_I did not see such a thing, right class?" The man audaciously denied with an indifferent snort, leaving Alice crossly astonished while the rest of her classmates agreed with murmured approvals and jeers._

"_And besides, it is the prefects' duty to uphold order in the class, not __**you**__, Miss Liddell. Was there such a disturbance back there, Class Monitor?" He called out idly and a girl stood up from amongst the same group of guilty party, wearing a red hearts-armband on her right sleeve, her shoulder-length brown, wavy tresses tied in a half ponytail._

"_There was nothing of that sort, Sir." A quiet and high voice spoke, her cool eyeless features filled with disdain as she spared a glance at the Foreigner. "I have no idea what she's talking about." Alice could sense the haughtiness in the girl's body language as she sat herself down gracefully on her chair, her presence oddly reminiscing as her accusatory tone unexpectedly wrung her heart with painful guilt that seem to come from nowhere._

"_There, are you satisfied? Now sit down Miss Liddell, you're disrupting my class." The teacher ordered and Alice reluctantly complied. Her mouth had been frowning so much her face was starting to ache. She briefly wiped away the layer of dust and cobwebs that had settled on her desk with tissue before even daring to sit down. It was a messy site; the surface was so dirtied with colored markers, paint, correctional fluid and what-nots that it was hard to distinguish what the original color was. She place her bag by the side, the teacher's monotonous voice droning on and on in her ears till-_

PLONK.

Not again…_ The corner of her eye brow twitched agitatedly, telling herself to ignore and pray that her pesky problem will just go away before she sends them to hell herself. _

"_Bulls-eye dude!"_

"_Do it again!"_

"_This time aim at her face!"_

Idiots… I can hear you laughing and whispering from here you cowards!_ She clenched her teeth and opened her book while wishing she could rip those irritating noises from their throats out._

PLONK._ Another landed on top of her head. Alice took a deep breath and glowered at the group. Apparently the person responsible for throwing the balls of paper was sitting right in front of the Class Monitor, who clearly was not giving a damn. Instead she returned with a smirk that only aggravated Alice into wanting to pull her own hair out at such biasness._

PLONK.

PLONK.

PLONK.

PLON-_ "Cut. It. OUT!" Alice hissed and finally unable to withstand, she took one of the balls of paper that now littered her table and threw it back, smacking it right in his face and surprising him so much that he stumbled backwards and fell out of his chair, causing his accomplices to burst out laughing, all except the Class Monitor, who looked quite in a bit of shock herself before shooting Alice a scornful glare._

_The laughing stopped when the teacher slammed his book on his table._

"_Miss Liddell this is your second warning. You've caused quite a commotion during the Summoning Initiation Ceremony yesterday too. Now stop trying to attract attention to yourself."_

Wait, I'd never… how could he-!_ Alice grimaced, finding the right words to defend herself, "No, I wasn't trying to-"_

"_Miss Liddell that is quite enough from you!" He reprimanded while pointing the textbook at her. "I don't need to hear any excuse from someone who can't even summon their own weapon! Turn to page 42 and read the whole section till the bell rings!"_

Ugh… this is the worst… There goes my first day in school…_ Alice bitterly thought as she opened her book to the page and began with the title of the chapter._

"3 Stages of the Contract_. Stage One is the initial development-"_

_._

"**I think that will be enough."**

**.**

A calm and baritone voice echoed and instantly, the memory images of Alice in the classroom froze and faded away into a space swirling with purple and green clouds, as if the incident had never happened. With a snap of his fingers, Nightmare Gottschalk brought his guests back to reality.

The silver-eyed man regarded the two role-holder who sat across his desk, leaning back into his chair and crossing his slender legs, "So what do you think, gentlemen?"

"I think you need to stop doing that." The Clockmaker grumbled as he opened his deep, azure orbs, flinching a little from the bright light that filtered through the window of the Principal's office. He rested his head back against his chair and roughly ran his fingers up and through his silky locks of blue, "I've got tons of work and you've called me over just to make me drowsy."

"Argh… my head hurts from waking up. Can't I just sleep in?" The other man who was sitting beside him complained, letting out a long yawn before taking his spectacles down to massage the bridge of his nose.

"Don't blame me!" The incubus retorted defensively, "It's the only way to monitor her progress."

"If you want to intrude on a girl's privacy, I'd appreciate you leave me out of it." Julius groused, his timbre voice gruff with weariness and annoyance. His frown distorted his face even more when his red-haired friend on the side hooked an arm around his neck playfully.

"Come'on Julius!" The contrastingly jovial-looking Role-holder cajole while tugging Julius closer, "You've gotta let the _man_ in you loose a bit once in a while and enjoy what's left of your youth more!"

"Don't group me with you. It's already bad that you're as old as I am but you can't act your age."

"Hey, are you always this grumpy when you wake up, ole boy?"

"And are you always this irritatingly noisy?" The ravenette muttered in derision and pushed the arm off while the man guffawed.

Nightmare looked at his co-workers and sighed exasperatedly, "I don't have any other choice but the two of you so will you consider my proposal at least? I know Alice's situation is different from other Foreigners, seeing that she is able to pull off an advance Contract level from the start even without the necessary reciprocated needs between Masters and Shields." He reached out for his cup of earl grey tea that was resting on his table, stirring the silver teaspoon about and taking a soothing whiff at the sweet and light aroma.

"But I will not stand for such unfairness in my school. Thus I need someone more experienced to guide her. "

"I've told you it's impossible for me." The mortician stated as-a-matter-of-fact whilst folding his arms. "I already have my hands full with my role. Why would you even consider me is beyond my comprehension."

"That's because Alice is well er… _hated_… in Wonderland High, while your jurisdiction oversees the neutral districts in the school and yes, even though it is rather superficial, a form of peace is required as agreed by the signed treaty so for heaven's sake stop grumbling to yourself in your thoughts." The eye-patched man carefully explained, pausing only to take a small sip of his tea before he continued, his one-eyed perceptive gaze fell upon the Clockmaster with a knowing grin, "I believe you can give Alice a fair chance to grow. Not to mention, it seems like Alice cares for you… and so might you her."

"Nonsense." Dark and turbulent cobalt orbs flashed and narrowed at his higher-up instantly. "It's already enough that I have to see to her injuries. I'm done here."

They watched as the mortician adjusted his clockwork tie, stood and left. His white doctors' coat trailed behind as he strode to the door and closed it with a loud and angry slam.

"Sheesh, he's stubborn!" The remaining visitor raised an eyebrow at Nightmare, leaning his weight to one side of the armrest, "But _that _grouch caring for someone else? That's a tough story for anyone here to believe ya know."

"It appears so." The teacup returned to its place on the table, his uncanny smile still remained on the incubus's lips, "It's not much to judge by yet, but I believe their relationship _does_ have a unique mutual quality."

"With the Foreigner huh? Tch… Not sure if that's lucky or not." The other man shook his head as he cupped his stubbled chin thoughtfully.

"What about you, Gowland?" Nightmare addressed the man who was dressed in a quirky yellow suit that was decorated with blue diamond shapes, the tail of his cropped hair tied neatly in a short braid. "I've only got you to take up the offer now. Anyway, it's high time for you to start working rather than being cooped up in _that_ room of yours fiddling with your projects."

"Hey, I'm successful that way." The bespectacled Role-holder puffed his chest out and gave a toothy grin as he pointed out. "The students and the folks love it there!"

"A-actually most would rather avoid that room-"

"Isn't that why I'm part of the Big Three? You should give a man his creative space; it'll do wonders for the world I tell ya!" Gowland exclaimed nonchalantly, ignoring Nightmare's prudent objection who could only give up with a sigh.

"Ah...but teaching youngsters like those after what they did to me-"

Nightmare closed his ears as he repeated the well-known litany, "Which is all the Hatter's fault-"

"WHICH IS ALL THAT BLOODY HATTER'S FAULT!" Gowland roared suddenly, almost as if all hell had broken lose in the room. His kind and laughing eyes were replaced with an evil and maniacal gleam as he wrung his fingers around an invisible neck while Nightmare rolled his eye.

"I'll have that smirking ass**** die by my own hands and have the whole school laughing at his death just like how he did to me! That damn bastard, I'll make him pay!"

"Yes yes, I know…"

"First I'll shoot his legs and arm off! Then maybe I'll pull his guts out and slice that pretty little head off his puny neck and stick it in a pole in the school yard-"

"If you want do it please do it outside of the school!" The principal hastily intercepted before he regained his composure, coughing a little blood into his lilac-colored handkerchief while a cooled-down Gowland stared with awkward pity and repulsion. "Ahem…Come to think of it, did you find anything unusual in Alice's memory just now?" Nightmare asked, elegantly wiping the red stain from his pale, thin lips.

"A-ah…yeah, I did." That got the older man back on track. Gowland scratched the back of his head as he assessed solemnly, "Her aura is unstable. And that voice that she heard seems… I don't know… off, as if it was not part of her own psyche."

Nightmare nodded slowly in agreement, "Julius had thought so too before he left. There's a breech and a sudden influx in her powers that had seemed to well up, almost as if coming to her aid. Alice might unconsciously acknowledge that voice is hers but…"

"It's not?" Gowland's eyes widen in suspicion.

"I can't be sure. If not then there should be another viable source but I could not detect it, even in Dreamland." The dream demon contemplated as he placed his elbow on the desk and linked his fingers. A grin then curved his mouth as he secretively read the intentions of his staff, his hand inching a yellow file labeled 'Confidential' towards the man, "Have I… gotten your interest at least?"

The sound of Gowland's chortle soon followed, his large hand rubbing the coarseness of his stubble out of habit as he grinned back with a click of his tongue, "You're a sly one, Nightmare."

"Always have been, Gowland."

"Must have been hard on Gray. Where _is_ that boy anyway?" Upon realizing, the pigtailed man turned about in his seat, looking around the room for his fellow Role-holder.

"He's on… an errand." Nightmare quietly spoke with a furtive smile, his fingers smoothing themselves along the handle of his porcelain teacup.

"I don't like the feeling of this." Gowland muttered, more to himself, as he took the file off the table, looking ever so serious. "Teaching isn't for me… but I'll consider."

"Please do."Nightmare smiled pleasantly, "And while you're at it, maybe you can work out a training schedule according to her statistics which is provided in that document folder."

Gowland nudged the bridge of his specs up his nose with one hand while the other casually opened the file. Furrows began to appear as he scanned the report, "What? ! But the girl's like Pandora's box! What if she's really the one from the prophec-"

"I'm sure you'll work something out!" The Dream Master merely waved the comment off with a wide smile. "You are, after all, the one who founded Wonderland High's Amusement Town and the one who built this school building. Planning and design should be a piece of cake." Nightmare deliberately flattered, his all-seeing one eye bore straight into Gowland's blue-green ones.

"Ha, couldn't have said it better myself." The yellow-clad man plainly stated, quirking up a confident smirk. He got up, the sound of his shoes muffled as he tread along the carpeted floor while his horse-buckled belts tingled. Swinging the door open, he turned around and pointed the paper folder at Nightmare, "Ya owe me big this time!"

"Put it on Gray's tab if you will." The incubus replied cheekily. "Oh, by the way, how's Boris? Skipping classes as usual?"

Gowland rummaged his fingers through his short hair as he let out a frustrated sigh, "Yeah, that kid's still being a pain in the ass. Why do you ask?"

.

.

.

"_3 Stages of the Contract…_ Stage One is the initial development of bonds… where the Masters are able to telepathically link with their Shields if need be… while the shields are able to detect danger, both mental and physical, that threatens the contractors… "

"_Oi, wake up. What _in_ Underland are you mumbling about?" _

_Strange… _There seem to be someone whispering in her ears. She nuzzled her head further into the crook of her arm. _Oh well…whatever… what was the definition written on the book again?_

"Stage Two… is the secondary development of bonds where-"

"_Hey, wake up Alice. It's Alice isn't it? Jeeze, if you're gonna keep sleeping like this- ah never mind, might as well. Don't say I didn't warn you!"_

"Huh? Urgh…" Alice groaned as she opened her eyes, her lashes fluttered heavily with sleep as she lifted her head off the nest of her folded arms. _I slept? Oh crud… I didn't get a chance to find my book and ribbon in the end, and Julius specially repaired it for me too... _The gears in her mind slowly registering her situation as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What a nightmare. Glad _that's_ over… have recess already ended-?" Alice murmured, looking around the empty class room blurry-eyed but right in front of her table, her eyes met a rather muscular-looking wall…

_No, not wall… a back? Is that somebody's back? _She asked herself as she blinked… and blinked again, thinking that she might still be dreaming.

But there was no doubt about it, the slender but toned body was covered in a slick sheen of perspiration, trained and hard muscles rippled with every action, revealing even more skin as the owner took off the uniform.

…_S-skin?_

It took a while but her eyes grew larger as realization of what she was staring at dawned on her.

It was a bare back, one that clearly belonged to a boy.

And then she screamed.

.

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**Wasn't sure how to end it so I know it's kinda abrupt ^^;** I** just complete a Gowland oneshot in another fic called "My Valentine Wonderland" so I was suddenly hyped up to write more about him though I hope he's not too OOC since I've never played his route before XD. So DO REVIEW to let me know how this was for you or if there is any improvement I can make. Plus it also encourages me to keep writing for this fic! ^^ **

**It's probably no secret if you can guess who that boy is or what's in Gowland's room or whether or not the voice belonged to Alice X'D You're welcome to try lol!  
**

**So thanks so much for reading and till next time! XD**


	8. The Challenge

**Banzaiiiii people! XD I was pretty hyped up after the last chapter so this update came quicker then I expected! Also, I have a poll up that happens to be about trying to make Wonderland High an Original Fiction and I would very much like to hear your opinion :) Thanks to my reviewers for supporting this fic and reading it all the way up to here, LUV YOU GUYS! XD**

**Without further ado, it's time to find out who the boy in the class in ^^ Hope you enjoy this chap as well!  
**

******Disclaimer:** I do not own anything HnKnA/C/J (which belongs to QuinRose) except my words and imagination for this AU, the school and my OC which you will learn of later ^^

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**Chapter 8: The Challenge**

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"**KYAAA!"**

A shrill cry sounded from the depths of her lungs and the mystery person visibly jumped in fright as Alice snatched her bag up from the floor to hide her beet red face.

"WOAH! H-hey, don't just wake up and scare me like that!"

"Y-you're one to say!" Hesitantly, she peered over her carrier to see who the voice belonged to, but to her embarrassment, her wide blue-green eyes immediately met with brilliant embers ones that scrutinized her intensely, the boy's rather fetching face just inches away. She gasped, doubling the shade of red that painted her flushed cheeks as she shied and scrambled backwards with her rusty chair to put some much needed distance before she forgot how to breathe. The boy with a punk-pink hairdo tilted his head whilst folding his arms, his perked curiosity showed in the raise of his furry ears and tail that twitched with interest-

_W-wait… furry ears and tail?_

"You're a cat." Blinking blankly at him, Alice blurted out unsurely, as if not knowing what else to obviously point out. It was real alright; that many-pierced triangular ears and long friskily tail that looked and moved all too naturally. It was even the same shade as his hair!

"I'm a Boris. Boris Airay." The cat-boy chuckled as he corrected, giving her a queer look with a raised eyebrow. His strong arms hoisted and sat himself on the desk in front of her, his long legs raised and stepped on his chair as he smirked, "Man, you're so not cute! You even drool in your sleep!"

Not used to being teased, Alice blushed furiously even more as she consciously wiped her face with the back of her hand whilst he laughed at her expense, when something else caught her eye.

_Is that… a furred __**boa**__? _She thought of asking aloud, not understanding why a guy would even want to hold something as ridiculously flashy as that long and striped pieced of feather duster that hung off his arms.

_Although it _does _kinda look good on him- _

Her thoughts froze when her eyes involuntarily trailed the move of his fingers which slithered down his naked torso, across the cult-like tattoo that was similar to the marking beneath his eyes, sliding over his belly-ring and to the front button of his pants-

"W-WAIT! Why the hell are you taking off your clothes for!" She demanded hotly, her sudden perturbed cry causing him to wince and his tail to stand on ends.

"Huh? Isn't Phys Ed next? I need to change." Indifferently, he asked with a puzzled expression. But noticing how the girl looked away hurriedly and hugging her bag even closer to shield her reddened face, his mischievous and trademark grin slowly curved his lips. The yellow-eyed youth leaned in closer, gazing at her from under his long tinted bangs as he whispered enticingly, "You can stay and watch if you want. You didn't seem to mind it just now though."

"I-I was sleeping!" She exasperatedly exclaimed and shot him a reprimanding stare, "Do you always change in front of girls?"

"That depends on who wants to see." Boris smiled smugly as he shrugged his shoulders, a hand pulling down the wall of her bag. "And do you always pretend to sleep and peep at guys changing at the same time?"

"I wasn't pretending!" Alice insisted strongly.

"Ha ha ha! Don't worry, I won't tell on you!"

"For a cat with sharper hearing, you're not very good at listening are you?"

"For a girl that blushes a lot, you're not very good with guys are you?"

"Argh! S-stop twisting my words, really now!" She tried her best to give her fiercest scowl at the annoyingly grinning punk though her cheeks held a scorching flush of dark pink. "Anyway, you're missing the point here mister!"

"R~ight…" His sly grin grew, revealing a glimpse of his canines that further enhanced the predator in him, "Aren't you missing something too… Alice?"

Immediately, Alice's large orbs of blue-green narrowed and locked on his scheming molten and ember ones The metal bracelet that Nightmare had given her started feeling warm on her skin, as if reacting to the newcomer. She certainly had not told anyone about losing her stuff. Trying to decode his agenda that hid behind that playful expression of his, the only thing that gave away his thoughts were those dignified pair of bright moonlit cat eyes that almost seemed hungry…

Hungry enough to eat her up.

"How did you kno-"

"**KYAAA!"**

_Okaaay… I swear that wasn't me this time... _ It was all Alice could think of as Boris and her flinched at the second ultra-feminine cry. Surprised at the interruption, the blond-haired Foreigner turned to see her faceless classmates returning from the washroom after changing to the school's sports attire; it included a navy blue, work-out shorts lined with ochre yellow and a smart-looking white, dry-fit polo shirt that held an embroidered school crest. The collar of the shirt and its designs were colored according to gender; red for the girls and blue for the boys.

"Boris! Hey guys, look who decided to come back to class!" A boy shouted and at once, the group surrounded the pinkish- purple haired youth at his table. Alice found herself stunned for a moment, having never experienced such a warm reception from the faceless before. Boris, who was easily enjoying the spotlight, gave out hi-fives to some of the guys.

_That's a Role-holder's popularity for you huh?_ Alice thought as she tried to shrink behind the bunch of thrilled people. She could clearly see that most of the students seem to welcome the cat's presence, especially the unusually large horde of girls, some whom did not even belong in her class!

"Girls, girls! He's top naked!"

"Where's my camera? I need a photo of that!"

"Move over Outsider! You're blocking the view!"

"What's _she_ doing with him?"

"Oh my god, I think he looked over here!"

_Urgh… is this what they call an overly obsessive fan club?_ Alice thought with a deadpanned face, the corner of her lips twitching sardonically. Not used to the overwhelming crowd that clung to Boris like a swarm of excited kids, she hunched over with her bag, trying to make herself unnoticeable.

_Oh? It's cool again… _ She realized when her fingers brushed against the metallic and bejeweled Enhancer around her wrist. _Why was it reacting like that? _ She contemplated as she caressed the embedded onyx-colored stone, but her thoughts kept being filled with the loud conversations all around her.

"Dude, where the hell have you been? Did you finally get caught?" One faceless boy asked enthusiastically, pointing out a long red scratch that was on one of Boris's hand.

"This? Nah, it's just a lucky shot." The young Role-holder waved it off coolly as he gave a lick across the gnash that nearly made Alice lurch in protest, wishing he'd get proper disinfection instead of coating it with saliva like a cat-

_Oh wait… he is._ She was suddenly reminded, silently and wryly laughing to herself.

"That's right!" Another boy smacked the first one at the back of his head, "There's no way Boris would let himself get caught. Pigs would fly if he did!"

Laughter and agreements ensued as a new group entered the crowd.

"Missed us, boy?"

It came from a clique of older-looking faceless girls that had sauntered into the room. Alice grimaced at the stereotypical types; skirts rolled way above the kneecaps and school rules, extravagant makeup, manicure and the must-have arrogant flipping of hair while expecting some non-existent wind to fly past and make them look like supermodels. One of them literally clambered over Boris, running her fingers on his bare shoulders while another toyed with one end of his boa. Apparently, only seniors could get this close to an idol like him and get away with it while the normal girls of her class envied from afar.

"Did the mean woman scream at you just now? Oh you poor thing!" One of the faceless girls cooed.

_You poor thing~!_ _Nye nye nye~! _Alice imitated as she rolled her eyes while Boris calmly chuckled, seemingly unaffected by the seniors' brazen advances as he took the wandering hand on his shoulders off and quickly adorned his sports shirt, finally covering his finely tuned abs, much to the girls' dismay.

"Ladies, it's no big deal. I'm sure I can handle _any_ kind of women." He said, glancing knowingly at Alice, who blushed with a disapproving frown and hastily looked away, just as he knew she would.

"Is flirting the only good thing you're good at, _cat_?" A scornful voice called out and everyone, including Alice, raised and turned their heads to an approaching faction of Heart's prefects, the symbolic red armband pinned on the sleeves of their polo shirt stood out like a group of avenging police force.

"No… it's just _one_ of the things I'm _great_ at." Piercing yellow eyes stared confidently at the prefects, his usual cat-ish grin never faltering from his lips though his voice dropped an octave lower as he slurred deliciously at the words.

"As usual Airay, you're only here for the physical lessons aren't you?" One prefect in front snorted derisively with folded arms. "If you're not serious at all then stop pulling the rest of the class average down."

"It's sad that you don't see how Mr Popular's only Mr Troublemaker who just wants all eyes on him."

_Why are they taunting him like that when he hasn't actually done anything? _Alice wondered worriedly as she watched. Maybe it was her being oversensitive, or maybe she saw herself in that same position too many a times, but she couldn't bear to sit there and do nothing while someone else went through what she had. Alice looked around for some form of help, only to see the other faceless standing rooted to the ground without even trying to go to Boris's aid.

_Wasn't he their friend? And what ever happened to the support of his fan club?_ Her own voice screamed in her mind out of pure frustration. Or was this all because of the influence of the Hearts Committee? She mused just how much power the Committee actually wielded.

"Take us seriously, damn it!" A prefect furiously cried out when Boris just leaned back on his hands and gave a huge deliberate yawn, his tail flicking lazily on the table.

"What's with all this pink gay fluff? Trying to act cool?"

"Stop ruining the school's image will you!"

"You'd look nicer with a leash on, _stray_."

"Have you guys got nothing new to throw at me?" Boris replied, looking pretty bored as he stretched and placed an elbow on one bent knee, resting his chin on his hand, "And by the way, I'd look nice with anything my mistress puts on me." Flashing a smirk, he winked at the cluster of female classmates and in a briefest moment, his gaze fell on her.

_Why the hell does he keep looking at me for? Do I still have drool? _The Foreigner thought, wiping the corners of her lips. _Well, at least it seems like he can handle it on his own… _Alice tilted her head to one side as she dryly frowned at him while the mass of girls squealed and swooned so much her body instinctively cringed away from their noisy antics, wondering if girls were always this melodramatic.

"Ha! Far from what I heard!" Another prefect continued to sneer. "You got yourself an old man instead of a mistress-"

_THUNK!_

The sound of the cat stomping hard on the back rest of his chair as he sat on the table stilled everyone in the class.

"That's just in name." Boris's reply was immediate and sharp, his voice hardened with pride, "I don't blindly follow Masters' orders around or try to boot-lick them like some tamed and attention deprived puppy. The Cheshire Cat belongs to no one… you hear me?"

There was no hint of the humorous Boris in his eyes now, Alice realized as she observed his cat-like behavior. His tail was lashing about agrily behind him and even his hair seemed to bristle up, which made him look more contending then before. Heck, he may as well be hissing by now beneath his cool and collected façade! The boy then crouched and pounced, landing gracefully on both legs quietly. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Boris then headed towards the door and left.

At last, one of the senior girls finally had a wee ounce of courage to stand up for her idol as she confronted the prefects, "H-how dare you make him angry!"

"Ew! What are you looking at _No Name_?"

God, she _really_ hated that nick name.

"Huh? What? " Suddenly addressed, Alice turned to the girl who asked, startled since she wasn't expecting anyone to pay attention to her in such an intense moment. She had not noticed she had been starring at the door where the Role-holder had left either, her thoughts unconsciously still on the handsome face, his frown and deadly cold eyes lingering in her memory...

.

_How strange... a grin definitely suits the delinquent cat better._

.

Jealousy contorted the girl's faceless features as she roughly shoved at Alice's shoulders. "Don't even think about getting close to our Boris!"

"First Airay and now the Outsider?" A female prefect joined in this time, "I'd say they suit each other pretty well, for _weirdoes_ that is!"

By now, Alice was accustomed to the name calling, but she could never get used to the unnerving feel of being stared at with such abhorrence. It was a nauseatingly cold, lonely and powerless feeling… and it was becoming suffocating. Needing out, she grabbed her change of clothes and stood but her path was soon blocked by a faceless.

"Hahaha! Ever thought of opening a freak-show together? We'll pay to watch if you ask nicely." Another soldier-ranked student laughed and his comrades contemptuously chortled along but the rest of the class saw red.

"How dare you sully Boris's name with her!"

"She doesn't deserve it, she's different and way lower!"

_Great, now they're diverting to me as an excuse… _Alice frustrated sighed aloud. She clenched and unclenched her fist, preparing to barge her way through when a quiet but strong voice intercepted.

"Stop it. We have a class to prepare for."

All eyes turned to the source that was the wavy, brown-haired Class Monitor. She stood at the door with a stern face and the class attendance file in her hand. "I'd appreciate if the seniors could leave so that the rest could get going."

With a disgruntled mutter, the upperclassmen exited while the rest of the classmates resumed to their normal chit chat as they dispersed.

_Did she just… help me? Can I really think of it that way? _Puzzled,Alice wondered, about to push her chair in place when realization struck her like a freight train and she did a double take.

_Wait a minute. That face… I know that face! _Alice's eyes lit up with acknowledgement. Ever since her first day in class, she never bothered to look at anyone directly upfront anymore for fear of instigating a needless fight. But of course, there was no way she would forget that particular face after the recent incident!

"Alice Liddell, if you have time to stand there and look silly then go get changed." The faceless female monitor ordered with a glare, "I'm not responsible if you're late for the next class too."

.

"_P-please…S-save m-me!"_

_._

"Ah! Hold on a second!" She cried out as she chased after the shorter-haired brunette who ignored her and walked off to the class corridor. Alice knew she was oddly smiling to herself and that the other students were creeped-out by her, but she did not care. Nothing could beat the sense of relief and happiness that blossomed in her heart at the recognition, the voice from her memory playing over and over again in confirmation.

"I said hold on!" The Foreigner raced past the girl and raised both arms to barricade her path, panting while the monitor paused in her tracks and gave her an annoyed frown.

"I knew it! You're that girl from before! The prefect with the flame thrower!" Alice exclaimed with a bright smile.

The young faceless scowled, resting a delicate hand on her hip and leaning her weight to one side "So what if you're able to recognize me from my number?"

"Number?" Alice repeated in confusion as she hugged her change of clothes to her heaving chest.

"Don't play dumb with me!" The monitor stomped her feet on the ground impatiently, "You should know by now that's how those apart from the Role-holders distinguishes themselves." She said, indicating to the red and gold pins on both sides of her collar.

"A number eight and a red heart?" The teal-eyed foreigner looked at the accessory closely, "Why, it looks exactly like those from a deck of playing cards!" In fact, she _had _seen it everywhere in school but Alice just passed it off as some random fashion fad.

"That's fundamentally what we are, don't tell me you didn't know?" The Monitor asked in disbelief and when Alice shook her fair head, she face-palmed herself in resignation. "Then how the hell did you know who I was? Was it my weapon?"

"Actually I've never met someone who controlled a weapon of fire like yours till that day." Pondering, Alice placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I just, recognized you from your looks. You all appear different to me anyway, so it's pretty easy for me to tell you guys apart."

The two stood in the corridor for a couple of silent seconds; Alice smiling widely as if she had accomplished the impossible while the Class Monitor stared with a deadpanned look.

"…You're weird." The faceless commented dryly, finding it difficult to say any more to a girl whose idiotic grin just grew wider as she walked past her.

"So I've been told." Alice chirped as she continued to follow from behind. She knew there was something wrong with her, not being the type of person who would continuously pester another and yet she was having fun. And where exactly did this fun come from when the girl was still this harsh towards her? Alice couldn't quite tell, yet her whole heart and soul felt lifted by a gratifying sense of freedom, as if the layer of wall between the locals and her wasn't as impenetrable as she once deemed.

"I'm just glad you're ok." She said softly, smiling to herself. A hand stretched out to tap on the other girl's shoulder, "How are you're injuries-"

"Don't touch me!" The eyeless youth cried as she slapped Alice's hand away. The Foreigner simply blinked, the skin on her hand stung from where she had hit but somehow it did not hurt as much as she had expected. _I must be disgusting to her…_ a weak voice in her mind said. _But if she hated me as much as before, she wouldn't have talked to me in the first place right?_ Alice contemplated as she looked at the girl whose cheeks were tainted in a deep and heated shade of crimson, her featureless gaze shifted edgily between Alice's face and the floor.

"D-don't act all friendly with me j-just because of what happened. I'm not going to thank you for it either!"

There was so much anger and pride in her words but her little voice wavered unsteadily, her flustering actions somewhat nostalgic to Alice, who found it endearingly cute, so to speak.

.

_If she hated me that much she would have already left by now… _

_.  
_

Alice stifled a chuckle, "Whatever you say."

"I-I'm serious!"

"Uh huh." She cheekily replied, "Hey, do you have a name?"

"Faceless like me don't need one. W-will you quit stalking me!"

"Then can I just call you Eight?"

"What?" The Class monitor asked with a look that told Alice that she thought she was speaking to someone delirious.

"Eight! You know, like the 'eight of hearts'?"

The faceless card gave a mocking laugh as she walked, "Then what happens to the eight of spade, diamond and clover?"

"Oh yeah…" Alice thought over it rather seriously before concluding, certainty in her light-hearted voice and smile, "Don't worry, I don't know any other eights so you'll be the only one I'll call 'Eight'."

"I'm not some kind of pet!" The girl in front declared loudly as she increased her pace hurriedly, her empty gaze fixed themselves in the front, her face felt strangely hot. But the sound of the Outsider's footstep echoed along with hers effortlessly. _"_Don't just decide names for other people!"

_Aw… she's so cute when she tries so hard like that!_ The admiration and adoration for the girl's strong-willed personality had welled up before Alice knew it, "Can I please? _Eight_?"

"If I say yes will you stop harassing me? !"

"Yep!"

"Argh, then fine!" The Class Monitor grunted in pure frustration, her arms flailed agitatedly in the air in her defeat. "Good grief, I should have known I'd be wasting my time talking to you!"

Suddenly, Eight spun around so abruptly Alice almost collided heads on with her classmate but a finger prodded her chest severely. "The next class is in the Arena." Light brown curvy locks bobbed on the Class Monitor's shoulders as she cautioned with a low tone, "You've got to do better than to rely on Master Dupre if you don't want to die."

A smile quirked Alice's lips as she gently pushed the finger away, resolution shone vividly in her orbs of sea-foam green, "Who said anything about relying on Blood?"

Her reply was an indignant huff from Eight who tipped her chin up with a smirk that equaled her own, "You better pray your guts are as big as your words then." With that, the faceless girl about turned and resumed her walk to the appointed location of their next class. To Alice, it wasn't exactly the best of conversations nor could it hardly be called a beginning of a lovely friendship, but it definitely was a start of redeeming an acknowledgment from a worthy rival.

"Erm…Thanks for the warning-"

"Save it."Eight said without looking back. "I don't need gratitude from someone like you."

_So does she like me or does she not?_ Alice softly chuckled to herself as she waved happily and called out, "See you later, Eight!"

"Idiot! Don't shout in the hallway!" The Monitor furiously yelled back, inducing ironic stares from other passerby before she disappeared around the corner, leaving Alice shaking her head. Suddenly, she felt a ticklish chill that fluttered right across the back of her arms and Alice nearly jumped out of her skin when a loud laughter erupted from behind. Fingers automatically flew to the handle of her gun that was saddled in the holster by the side of her waist, her head turned sharply towards the source only to see Boris Airay standing right beside her.

_When did he get this close? !_ The shocking question beat in her mind, unable to grasp just how skilled and potentially dangerous this Role-holder was for him to mask his presence this well.

"So what I heard about Alice contracting Blood _is_ true! Hahaha! Man, the old geezer's gonna have a field day with this information!" Boris deftly maneuvered his large boa around his arm and laughed into his fist, the intensity of interest in those yellow, observing eyes of his further increased and it glimmered naughtily at Alice. The Foreigner also saw that he had exchanged his school pants for a pair of shorts.

She frowned at him with folded arms, taking precautions not to slip into carelessness, "I don't believe I've ever introduced myself to you."

"Come'on now, we're classmates!" The cat-boy unexpectedly patted her back in camaraderie, "You don't have to go so stiff on me!"

"Well, you're name _is_ on the attendance..." Alice solemnly mulled over in pretense, "But I've never seen you in class before. I just assumed you were dead."

"Ouch." Boris winced, clutching his feignedly aching chest.

"Now please excuse me, I've got to change and you've got a group of fans waiting for you." She ignored dryly. By now, she figured that high profile role-holders like him usually meant trouble if she ever got caught up with one and she'd very well liked to avoid digging her own grave.

_Just like with Blood…_ It just wasn't right for such a self-centered man to irate her this much! The unbidden thought had her grimacing as she proceeded into a bend in the corridor that lead to the girl's changing room.

But in some twisted sense of affinity, trouble always seems to find her… least to her expectations.

"By the way Alice, did you drop this?"

His voice spurred her to glance back over her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sight of the objects in his hand, undue surprise almost releasing her grip on her clothes, "My ribbon! Oh, and my book! I needed that for class just now!" The initial shock quickly turned to irritation, "You couldn't have returned it earlier?"

Boris grinned as he flipped the notebook about in his hand, curiously inspecting it, "Nah, it's more fun to get you in trouble that way."

By 'fun' was he actually referring to _her_ standing throughout the lesson as punishment? Alice took a deep calming breath to prevent herself from snidely retorting somewhere along the lines of punching the teeth out of his irritating smile and cutting his beloved boa into small little pieces.

"Anyway thanks." She curtly expressed and reached out to claim her belongings, "I must have left it in-"

But her fingers grasped at thin air when he suddenly pulled her items away and wagged a finger as he said, "Ah ah ah… you don't expect me to just give these back, do you?"

Furrows appeared between her brows, "Well… yeah?"

"Ha ha ha! Alice, Alice, Alice… are you always this simple minded?" He couldn't help snickering, taking pleasure in her innocently confused and pouty reaction which had just the right amount of agitation for a prey to want to struggle and fight back. Just as he had planned, the Outsider was falling right into his trap.

She keenly observed as Boris hid her book and ribbon behind his back. There was a small sound of jangling metal and then his hands appeared again, her items gone. He smirked and laughed inwardly at her rather interesting expression that was a mix of amazement and horrification.

"What do you want?" Alice inquired, her gaze narrowing on his every move in trained habit. She widened her stance for more flexibility just as Boris began to prowl around her in a slow, hypnotic and circular dance, similar to that of a large exotic wild cat which is assessing its kill.

.

**"A game."**

.

She held her breath when she heard him whisper invitingly close to her ear, his voice flaming down her neck and sending her Enhancer a stint of tingling warmth against the skin of her wrist in forewarning.

"A game with someone who is supposedly strong enough to subdue the Mad Hatter and his gun." Boris grinned down at her, his agile footwork taking him behind her now. He could smell her fear even if it did not show on her face. "Don't you think that would be interesting?"

"So what you want is just to test me?" Alice asked uncertainly, her eyes and alert senses straining to track the moving figure but with difficulty.

"Of course not! What I want is to have a little bit of fun with the infamous Alice Liddell of Wonderland High." He stood in front of her and replied with a cute tilt of his head, his cherry colored strands softly falling across his gaze that flickered radiantly and mysteriously in the dimly lit hallway, his dangerous Cheshire grin lingering in her mind, haunting her.

The Outsider frowned and took a deep gulp of air, her nerves becoming fidgety with every second spent with him. "What have you got to prove by doing this? I didn't do anything to you and I _absolutely_ would _not_ have contracted Blood of all people." She tried to reason as a nervous drop of sweat rolled down her temple, her fingers digging into her clothes painfully at the mere mention of his name. Hell, he was bringing her problems even when he's not there!

"That's the thing, Alice."

In a blink of an eye, he covered the small distance between them, his lean and taller frame towering over her a purple. A flare of aura was detected and a chained purple, semi-automatic materializing in his right hand.

_Shit!_ Alice sucked in her breath, immediately drawing her own white one, the crystal orb on it glowing with pre-fueled magical energy of light blue. But even before she had a chance to point at him, his other hand suddenly blocked and grabbed hold of her wrist, tugging it past the side of his body and removing himself effectively from her range of shot, just as his gun-hand slung forward and around her neck, the back of his arm edging her head closer to his, the metal of his firearm brushed against her cheek though it was aimed away from the girl.

"I don't know who you think you are or why you were able to nab yourself a Role-holder and that's pretty threatening for someone like me. But that makes it all the more thrilling isn't it!" Boris murmured, his breath caressing her cheek in ways she wished she the woman in her was not aware of.

"B-but I just want my stuff back! Is that so hard to ask?" Aghast fell on her face as she stuttered, her hand struggling to free itself. _Why do these things keep happening to me?_ She cried out in her mind.

His arm jerked her head forward and she gasped audibly.

"Then I hope you like hide-and-seek as much as I do, Alice." Boris proposed, whispering with an impish grin before letting the trembling but glowering girl go, much to her relief. Their chains rattled insidiously as Alice watched him carefully while he kept his gun befored she did the same.

"Because that's what we're going to play in the Arena." A childish look of excitement flashed across his face, his ears all perked up while Alice kept a grim and pursed lip.

"I'd hate to lose to the Master of Blood Dupre," Boris stuck his hand safely in his pockets and started walking languidly in the same direction Eight had taken, his long purple tail swaying from side to side in a nonchalant way.

Then, he glanced back and coyly winked.

"But hey… I _never_ lose."

.

.

.

The cool bottle-green eyes of a certain raven haired youth suddenly shot up from his _History of Battle Tactics _book to a group of third year faceless students that walked by outside his Strategic Planning class. His frowning gaze remained even after they had moved out of sight.

"What is it, Blood?" Elliot's rugged voice broke into his train of thoughts. The young Mafioso blinked hesitantly before returning to the hare who was sitting beside him. That Shield of his was slumped over his desk, asleep just a while ago but now, his perceptive and wide mauve orbs studied his Master keenly.

"Nothing." The Hatter muttered as he leaned back into his chair and ran his fingers through his hair restlessly. The teacher shot a look at his direction timidly before he resumed to reading a passage out of their textbook, choosing to pay no heed.

"Class must be boring you out today huh?" The orange-haired rested his chin lazily on his desk again with his long ears falling over his head, his half-lidded eyes staring vacantly in front, trying in vain to absorb the meaning of the scribbles on the board. Blood leaned his cheek into his propped up hand, his eyes preferring to stare outside of the window that was right beside his seat, the satirically serene and light blue sky gave him a sense of unease which he could not shake off.

"Perhaps so..."

.

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**Heh~ it's my first time making an OC so I'm not sure how good it will be. :/ But actually, Eight isn' exactly- em... maybe I should stop before I reveal my ultimate plot fufufu~! ^^ I wasn't sure if I captured Boris properly either but I'm trying to look at how he would normally act or kill if the QR's Alice weren't around. Anyho, gotta pause for a while and do some work which I have ignored T.T**

**So if you like it or if you have any comments or constructive critique, DO REVIEW, I'd love to improve in any way or just to know my readers, plus it really helps to motivate me to continue writing :) Oh and don't forget to visit my poll! ^^ Thanks again for reading! XD**


	9. The Arena

**Man, how long has it been since I've written fanfic, let alone continue this story! X'D So I apologise if my writing here seems very rusty (or the proses aren't very good OTL) and for the very long wait! I should be shot for procrastinating so much T.T It was hard to continue this chapter because I haven't gotten it all figured out until a couple of months ago and I know I've promised a chapter to **_Kurayami4Hikari_**, so this is for you and all those still reading this fic :) Thanks for your support and reviews! *MUACKS!* So hope you'll enjoy it ^^**

**********Disclaimer:** I do not own anything HnKnA/C/J (which belongs to QuinRose) except my words and imagination for this AU, the school and my OC which you will learn of later ^^

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**Chapter 9: The Arena**

**.**

The pitter-pattering of sneakers echoed messily and deafeningly like heavy rain in the indoor Arena's polished, wooden floor. It was a ridiculously spacious and rectangular complex with high, wireframe-decorated ceilings. Though at a distant corner, the building itself was connected to the rest of the school and occasionally, other students could be seen passing through the walkways that ran along the sides of the Arena like a multi-story bridge, some peeking over to get a glimpse of whatever was going on down on the ground floor.

Alice had expected something close to a gladiator's coliseum but it seems like apart from its enviable comfort in size, the school's famous 'Arena' is but a normal, enormous sports hall that held up to 15 multipurpose courts. And what better way to make full use of the well maintained place then to have the whole second year class run laps around the full outer perimeter of the Arena's courts.

"Keep running! Stop wasting time on chatter girls! This ain't a stroll in the park people!" The teacher hollered through the megaphone from one corner of the room as he surveyed the mass of jogging, sweaty teenagers.

_Just what I need… more running…_ Alice's dead set of teal eyes stared ahead as she trudged on in her own pace, her hair now tied in a long, neat ponytail with just a rubber band. She pouted, huffing a few strands of her fringe away from her eyes. Just as she thought, she felt a tad off without her customary blue ribbon; as if her image was incomplete, like eating plain bread without any jam or butter. The piece of accessory was a precious birthday gift after all and she absolutely had to find a way to get it back… somehow. She counted her own loud breathing with each step she took, a consistent and rhythmic litany that guided her through the motion of running and putting her weariness right at the back of her mind.

"Airay, take the lead!" She heard the faceless man directed and instantly, the purple and pink cat-boy appeared at her side with a double flip in the air before agilely somersaulting on his hands and landing on his feet as he continued to jog backwards, grinning enthusiastically at Alice, his playful and gleaming canines peeking from under his lips.

"At this speed? You can't call this running!" Boris said, almost challenging her. Swiftly, the ember-eyed youth about turned on his toes, facing forward now together with the rest of the group as he winked and smiled childishly back at her, "I'm racing ahead!"

"I'm with you!" A faceless fellow classmate followed suit and so did a couple of other boys who began to race forward, trailing behind the Roleholder's tail.

"Wait Boris, count me in!"

"Last one to finish the lap is a rotten dodo bird!"

_Showoff…_ Alice caught herself inwardly laughing as she rolled her eyes and shook her fair head. The way the boy's striped tail and boa swaying to and fro as he sprinted was a temptation itself, her hands itching to try to grab and pull at either one of them while he's at full speed just to see what would happen next.

"Oof!" She let out a shocked cry when she felt someone bump hard into her shoulder from behind. Her feet tangled clumsily and she fell forward, taking a split second to brace herself with her hands while her knees skidded hard on the floor. Wide blue-green eyes blinked in confusion until she heard the familiar loathsome sniggers from her female classmates.

"Oh my! Didn't see you back there." The perpetrator and presumably alpha girl from a clique of four mockingly exclaimed, her tone dripping with so much sarcasm and disdain that it tainted her innocent pretense, causing Alice to instinctively cringe away with disgust.

_What is it __**this**__ time? _She asked herself, irritated and almost bored.

"It's hard to notice someone who looks as plain as a floorboard- Oh wait! I don't have to." The faceless leered as she flipped her long, curly and ebony hair and her followers chortled with an orchestrated precision.

Hiding the agitated twitch at the corner of her lips, Alice looked away and sighed indifferently whilst squatting and dusting off her slightly scrapped knees. "Apparently you're as blind as you look then."

The laughter disappeared and the faceless leader of the girls stomped her feet right in front of her vision conceitedly and pushed her shoulders so that Alice fell back on her bottom, "Boris was just curious about you! Don't get too ahead of yourself, Foreigner!"

…_Seriously?_ Alice stared up with gritted teeth. She should have known that nothing good ever comes with associating with those notorious Roleholders, let alone catching herself an impossibly untamed cat! A few other prying students were surrounding them now while others ran past.

"Quit blocking the way man!"

"Hey hey! Are they gonna fight?"

_**BANG!**_

Alice flinched and squeaked from the noise that reverberated loudly from across the arena, as did the rest of her classmates. Glancing down nervously from the gunshot, she was astonished to see a small scorched mark on the floor right beside her feet.

"Miss Liddel! I said no chatting and how dare you take a rest!" Her teacher yelled angrily, his mouth contorted in a scowl so ugly and obnoxious Alice's heart froze over in an instant. As the other classmates scrambled away from her, she could see his megaphone lowered in his left hand… and his raised, smoking gun in his right. Cautiously, she fixed her steady, aquamarine gaze on the barrel even as she felt her limbs quivering while she tried to get back on her feet.

"An additional lap for you!"

"But sir! I wasn't-"

_**BANG!**_

Alice gasped and covered her ears in fright as she stumbled onto her backside again, pulling her feet back just in time whilst the faceless man's magical bullet grazed the floor just an inch away.

_Is he trying to kill me?_ She stared at him in disbelief, cold sweat trickled down her neck as he approached her. Every footstep that brought him closer increased the trepidation in her and it sparked a lightly heated tingle on her wrist from where her Enhancer hung.

"Is talking back an Outsider's thing? To think you look so decent on the outside, I'll bet you were brought up lacking manners in your family." The teacher sneered, his eyeless sockets a chilling and heartless gaze that glowered down at her. "No wonder you're a _No Name_."

"Don't you _dare_ bring my family in to this." Alice growled, her fear mixed with an upsurge of rage as she stood up. Her fist clenched tightly and stiffly by her side, resisting the urge to fight back; a pure dark and vicious haze that threatened to blind her vision as she felt her fingers slowly reaching to her white gun that was in its holster, loosely buckled around her right thigh this time. Nightmare had cautioned her to never go anywhere without it and now, she's glad she had listened.

_**Don't… Alice don't… **_

A small voice suddenly spoke in her mind; a voice so soft, gentle and understanding it reeled her away from careening on the edge of violence. Her fingers clenched again, her fingernails biting into the flesh of her palm.

_**Fighting won't solve anything… Now's not the time…**_

_He's badmouthing my family. Because of me, he's insulting Lorina too! I can't let that go… _Ironically, she pleaded to her own self in helpless frustration. Alice couldn't understand. It wasn't like her to be like this. Even her own conscience didn't sound like her; so unnaturally passive and loving yet so very familiar.

"I don't care how you were taught Foreigner…"

Her teacher's voice startled her a bit and brought her attention back. Wide, blue-green eyes narrowed uneasily when the man raised his gun at her again without hesitation, her voice lodged in her throat as fear immobilized her. Her wrist felt warmer as the metallic Enhancer began to heat up on its own, the dark, black gemstone on it glimmering in activation.

"But here in this world with a Master and Shield system, you might not understand."

Alice's mouth went dry. She could sense his energy building and pouring into his gun, getting ready to fire again as a condescending smirk flitted to his lips.

"We learn to follow orders and you need to follow MINE!" The faceless man cried and in that split second, her mind blanked out, her sight focused only on the finger as it pulled the trigger-

_**TWUNG!**_

"Ow!" She flinched from the odd sounding gunshot and covered her ears just as she saw the gun fly out of the surprised faceless' hand. A strange sensation had vibrated through the air, causing both of them and every living being close by to feel nauseous. Alice grimaced uncomfortably as she staggered, her magic bracelet cooling down reactively from the sudden commotion, as did her fear.

"My ears are ringing!"

"What? What did you just say? I can't hear a thing!"

"God,I feel like puking!"

Alice could barely hear the other students complained as she herself sat down to relieve the disturbing feeling. Whatever had caused it not only saved her life but it gave her serious bout of tinnitus, hearing loss and vertigo. She sure as hell hadn't escaped death just to experience this!

"M-my hand!" The teacher weakly muttered, his face a pale green from the strange phenomenon as he clutched his right hand that was strangely shivering, his fingers lock in a fixed stance. "Isn't this type of power… M-Master Gowland!" He looked up at the direction of the bullet, so did everyone else as a lone, bespectacled, red-headed figure crossed the court with a smile and a polished brown, wooden rifle in his hands.

_That's the one who saved me?_ Cocking her head to one side and with her hands still trying to block the gradually diminishing but infuriating ringing noise from her ears, she appraised the new Roleholder with skeptic eyes. It wasn't as if she had expected a knight in shining white armor but she certainly hadn't expected him to be clad in a outrageously blinding yellow suit, a queer looking belt, heavy black boots and a braided pigtail. His weapon, Alice noticed, was decorated with patterns that were similar to the ones she had seen on musical string instruments like the violin or the cello. She had never encountered a rifle quite as peculiar as this.

"The old man sure likes flashy entrances." Boris walked up to her, rubbing his fingers in his own triangular ears, his tail swaying with boredom. It puzzled and annoyed her a bit to see him more or less unaffected, unlike the rest near her.

"A friend of yours?" She asked, somehow managing to stand steadily when her hearing finally returned to normal.

"He is the one who is in-charge of me." Boris nonchalantly shrugged with hands stretched behind his head. "Back when I was a first year, the school couldn't take the nature of a rebellious cat, so they decided I needed a _handler_ of sorts and he was the only one willing and crazy enough to take me in." The ember-eyed boy huffed derisively with a smirk then. "I wouldn't have gone with any other anyway."

_In-charge of him?_ _Is Boris that bad? Isn't that kind of forceful? _Alice blinked back with a frown at the older Role-holder, unable to imagine the restrictions of being decided for and controlled by another.

"That's bothersome! I finally come here and this is what I find?" Gowland groused while scratching the back of his head as he tapped the long barrel of his assault rifle on his shoulder. He stood over the faceless, man who kept on nursing his trembling gun-hand. "Stamina training is good for the youngsters but there is no need for such insults from a teacher. And raising your weapon on the Foreigner who is, regardless, a student? That puts you in a very, _VERY_ ugly position." The brilliant teal-eyed man regarded the school staff coldly, his grin not quite reaching his eyes as he nudged his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "This school doesn't need an abuse of authority. You agree, don'cha?"

"Y-yes! O-of course, Master Gowland!" Alice's teacher answered, numbly nodding his head.

"Good! Oh and before I forget..." The red-head joyfully exclaimed as he swung down his firearm and slammed the gun's forestock into his palm and took aim.

"OI! COME BACK HERE YER STUPID STRAY!"

_**TWUNG! TWUNG!**_

"Ack! My ears! Didn't I tell you my hearing is sensitive you idiotic old man!"

_Boris?_ Alice turned around just in time to catch the unmistakable pink and purple Cheshire Cat slinking out of the arena behind the crowd of students. It seems that he had managed to dodge the magically charged bullets in time for it to hit the side of the wall but the repercussions still left the punk-styled youth clawing at his flattened ears, his tail had gone stiff and twitching.

"I-Isn't that an abuse of power too?" Alice's brows wrinkled as she watched Boris reluctantly dragged himself back to the court.

"As usual, he could have just magically summoned him."

Turning her head to the voice, Eight had strode to her side with arms folded across her chest and a male companion beside her who had a messy head of black with streaks of dyed copper red and a pair of rectangular, white rimmed glasses.

"Summon? You mean he's Boris's Master?" Her brow elevated to her hairline and her pitch rose as Alice switched her glances between Gowland and the cat boy. It hadn't occurred to her that _that _was what Boris meant by being 'in-charged' of him.

"So it's not just a rumor then?"

"By Contract, yes. But he doesn't act like he is bound by it only because despite being his Master, Gowland gives him an almost free rein and with a Shield like Boris, it must have been a gamble to make that contract since it takes a lot of trust, control and energy, something Gowland has despite the way he looks." The faceless class representative spoke in her usual sing-song, cool and level-headed way as she tapped the ground with the tip of her shoes whilst pondering. "Either that or they both found something that they could benefit from each other."

" An external mutual transaction, you mean." The faceless friend with the two-toned hair stated casually as he turned to Eight.

"_External_ as in it has nothing to do with friendship or being loyal? That would be _internal_ right?"

He seemed taken aback when Alice directed her question at him. She thought she saw him sending a hateful glare before averting his bespectacled, eyeless gaze away from her teal ones hastily, but not before she realized who he was; the guy who had that nasty habit of throwing paper balls at her in class!

"You're pretty fast for once." Eight sniggered delicately with disdain into her hand. "That's correct. But it is not very commonly used since Contracts are forever unless your clock is destroyed. Therefore, what they want from each other must last that long as well or they will both regret and the Contract will affect them instead. That is how significant Contract forming is to people like us."

_It's like they're giving away their very being to someone else... _Alice mused to herself with a small frown. _I don't think I can't do that…_

"I don't know how he does it." The faceless bully lazily spoke to Eight, obviously and deliberately ignoring Alice's presence. This time, Alice took note of his collar pin, which was gold plated too but with an embedded black clubs and number seven as he continued, "But I seldom see him resort to exerting his Masters' rights on Boris unless it's an emergen- H-hey! Stop staring at me like that, it's gross! What's with her?" The youth flushed and fidgeted away from Alice's wary eyes.

"Told you she'd be weird." Eight wiped her hand across her eyes exasperatedly. "Next thing you know, she'll start naming you too."

Immediately, the boy audibly gasped with a revolted cringe and gingerly took a step back.

A loud whack was suddenly heard when the class register folder came in contact with the back of Boris's head and Gowland's hollering thundered in the enclosed space like a mad bull on a rampage.

"What's this about your class attendance record? You tryin' ter make me look bad?"

Boris groaned and sorely rubbed his head, "Well it can't be as bad as your own fashion sense-"

_**TWUNG!**_

"S-STOP THAT! I get it alright! Stupid Deaf-stun… now I feel like sick!"

"Deaf-stun?" Alice repeated and blinked perplexedly at Eight.

"D-don't look at me, I'm not your personal encyclopedia! You, explain it to her." The now, red-cheeked faceless brunette gestured towards Seven of Clubs, who then cast a loaded, defensive glare at the Outsider.

"Tch… you're such a pain in the ass!"

"Well excuse me for being new here!" Alice retorted back with her hands to her hips.

"It's the effect of Gowland's magic. Depending on the intensity of his powers, it stuns the person with vertigo and momentariy deafness. Even if you aren't hit directly you can still feel its effects at close range like what happened just now. Did you catch all that? Was I too quick or do you need me to spell word for word for you to understand?" He smirked at her, sarcasm dripping off his tone.

"I said I was _new_, not _slow_." She returned his glare before smiling sweetly. She REALLY doesn't like the bully no matter how close he was to Eight! "I expected you to be smarter but I'll spell those two simple words for you if you'd ask me nicely."

"Say what-! Argh!" His words caught in his throat, literally, when the cool and collected class monitor sudden decided to restrain his approach by tugging the back of his collar. "Stop choking me!"

"I will if you chill." Eight of Hearts said exasperatedly before letting of Seven's sport's shirt. Meanwhile, the rest of the class had gathered around Gowland and Boris, rousing up loud chatters of awe and pity.

"It's a weird and real messed-up one, his magic. I would be on my knees right now if I were Boris."

"He must already be immune to it!"

"Poor guy."

"Did you visit the new shop he had set up in Amusement Town? It's rad I tell you!"

"Aw, makes me wanna go to town and get me those special pair of walkie-talkie earrings!"

"I've been saving to taste the topsy turvy chocolate and strawberry sundae!"

_Amusement Town? It's in the school brochure but I've never found the chance to visit… _Alice pondered, the corner of her mouth quirking up thoughtfully. Her teacher, who had been pretty much ignored and was recovering from the stun, finally got up from the floor on wobbly knees, his face still looking pale and unwell.

"W-what brings Master Gowland here? Is there a-anything I can get for you?"

"Yeah, what are you here for anyway?" Taking his position beside Alice, Boris grumbled, his hand running agitatedly through his spiky, pink-tinted stands while his curiosity showed in the way his pierced tail flicked back and forth. The bespectacled Roleholder chuckled and his laughter warmed up his kind and intelligent eyes whilst he de-materialized his own weapon and waved the class folder in front of the horde of students. "I've been asked to supervise, observe and evaluate this class…"

There as a momentary pause in his speech and Alice caught herself in surprise when the man's bright blue-green eyes briefly met hers.

_No, he's here to evaluate…. __**me**__…_ Her own instincts told her, swalloing back her breath. _Friend or foe?_ She wasn't sure of what to expect from this newly introduced member to her school life.

"I bet you guys have already exercised enough! Let's put those stretched muscles to work and enjoy the rest of Phys Ed shall we?" Putting his hands together, Gowland concluded and the class cheered and bustled with enthusiasm.

"Man, I hope Gowland teaches again!"

"As long as it's not a music lesson. That would be just dreadful."

"Yeah, but Gowland's the best after all!"

"Never thought I'd see him out of that room since the big incident that year with Blood Dupre!"

Just his name perked her interest and she asked Boris almost absentmindedly, "What has Blood got to do with it?"

"You don't know?" Golden feline orbs widened, his trademark wily and playful Cheshire grin crept to his lips. Alice arched an eyebrow doubtfully when he leaned closer and whispered into her ears, "It's about Gowland's full name. It's hilarious as hell! It's isn't safe now so I'll tell you later!"

"Pfft."

"Wha- Even you two?" Alice shot a look of disbelief at Eight and Seven, who quickly looked away with a hand clamping over their mouths and their shoulders shaking discriminately.

"Alrighty! Next on the agenda is Fight Practice!" Gowland called out excitedly and the crowd immediately fell quiet, earnestly attentive and eager. It was strange for Alice to see them this way; when the students were acting so… _normal_... regardless of their usual blood-lust lifestyle. But this semblance of normalcy made her smile, knowing that she shared something in common with them despite the difference in their worlds.

"So pair yourselves up, put on your chest guard and prepare your weapons!"

_Chest Guards?Weapons? Why do we need that for gym- Oh, right... _Reality hit back to base again and she frowned. She was reminded that the way the school operated wasn't very normal to begin with and to believe that the inhabitants of this school were sane wasn't really a very smart thing to do. Her classmates began walking towards the side of the court where the chest guards were kept in shelves while some readied their firearms and blades, which made the air was tingle and pulsate along her skin with the intense mixture and concentration of different magical auras.

"Wait! I'd like to request a Fight Simulation instead with her, Alice Liddle." Before she could protest a word, Alice found Boris's arm wrapped around her neck teasingly as he called out his suggestion to Gowland. He raised his other hand and resumed, "One vs one. A simple cat-and-mouse game."

This agitated the class right on cue as Alice had expected and her ears instinctively tried to block out the noises in vain; some protesting while others taking sides.

"What? Why her again?"

"Boris finally threw a challenge!"

"I've been dying to see this! No second year has been able to beat his record in that simulation!"

"He's the second year's ace player! She doesn't stand a chance."

_Ace player? This might be bad…_ The comment caught her concern and she cast a wary side-glance at the cat who immediately grinned confidently back at her. She had expected him to be good but now, her nerves were beginning to give way to jitters in her stomach.

"Hmmm, good idea." The red-headed Roleholder agreed with a nod as he rubbed his stubble. "It will be part of the term test so might as well let the Foreigner get used to war-games. Get into position and suit up! The rest of you, stay behind the red line of the court." Gowland's voice boomed as he dictated. Reaching his hand out, the faceless teacher automatically and humbly presented to him a handheld controller. Pressing his palm on the screen of the thin, rectangular machine, the biometric scan started activating to confirm his school authority. Green lights shone from the screen, signaling that access to the Arena was granted.

Gowland arched an eyebrow up, scrutinizing the monitor which had switched to a welcome screen with multiple digital buttons for choices. _The design for the controller's interface is beginning to look really old… When was the last time I tweaked with this thing?_

Just then, his finger hovered above the 'Fight Simulation' button for a second. His sharp, teal eyes observed the Foreigner who was following the Cheshire cat and some other faceless students to the starting positions, well aware he was going to throw a baby into a pool to swim.

_Perhaps not much of a baby…_ He chuckled to himself when he saw the long-haired girl banter with the younger, pink-haired Role-holder while fussing about with the chest guard. He was surprised to hear no protests or complains from Alice when he signaled the game. _Nightmare will be please to know that she's slowly conforming to and accepting Wonderland already. The Foreigner needs to have what it takes to survive, and if she can't learn to stand on her own first, she'll die. _His eyes glimmered knowingly behind his specs as he thought to himself, amused by the Outsider's capacity to take in the world so quickly.

_It's a given with the rest of the Outsider cases… So I guess we won't know unless she tries. _And with an anticipating grin, Gowland went ahead and pressed the virtual button, keying in the rest of the information.

_**[Fight Simulation Activated. Arena will be reassembled. Number of Combatants: One versus One. Choice of arena shall be randomly selected. All non-combatants please stay clear to avoid crossfire by standing behind the safety zone.]**_

The loud and clear, female electronic voice startled Alice, but not as much as when a shimmering, waist-high translucent fence was raised right along the red line of the court while whatever wooden flooring that was behind it suddenly sunk into the ground! She could feel the room vibrating from the shift all the way to the top of her head, half expecting a real earthquake to tear through the building. Alice couldn't peel her astonished eyes away as she watched the huge, rectangular mid-portion of the Arena lowered itself to create what she had initially expected the Arena to be; a fighting ring with a raised spectators' stand suspended all around it. She blinked in astonishment when she saw the flat surface of the sunken arena undulating and forming all sorts of landscapes; from sandy deserts to wet jungles and concrete mazes, to one with many tall buildings and one that was literally in the air with only odd looking clouds for footholds! As the myriad of transformation went, there were even crazier ones, as if the scene was right out of a carnival; some with mirrors everywhere, giant stuffed toys as if in a toy box, and even a playground! If it had been another situation, she would have liked to fully appreciate the genius of the carefully and creatively constructed building, except-

"Will you concentrate for a moment! And here I am teaching you how to put this on but you're not even paying attention!" Scolded Eight angrily from behind Alice while she assisted her in fastening the small, back belts of the protective gear.

"T-this is a guard? But it doesn't protect much except for m-my boobs!" Alice squirmed and adjusted herself, grimacing at the small but substantial strip of metal that covered her bosoms snuggly.

"Ha ha ha! Maybe that's why it's called a _chest guard_ for a reason?" Boris chortled beside her as he adorned a similar, male-version of the chest guard and rolled up his sleeves to reveal toned and shapely arm muscles. It made Alice take a step back when he approached and placed a finger squarely on her chest guard, his canines showing with a grin, "Your core, or in your case, your heart is the only thing you'll need to protect."

"I've warned you that the school is not responsible for any other bodily damages, didn't I?" The faceless class monitor tossed her wavy mid-length, brown locks behind her shoulder once she was satisfied with securing Alice's chest guard.

"Hey, what are you helping her for?" Seven, the class bully, tugged at Eight's arm.

"Because I'm the Class Monitor. It's my role and my duty, nothing more." She replied, unruffled, as she shrugged his hand off coolly, painting a worried and disappoint expression on Seven's featureless face.

"Chickening out now?" Boris asked.

"You'd wish!" Alice glared back and stuck her tongue out at him, folding her arms across her chest to provide an additional layer of cover. _T-this thing really doesn't protect much!_ She frowned at Boris's own chest guard. It made sense to protect her heart but what use would that be if the rest of the body gets wasted away while fighting? Even if they had clocks for hearts, was this really how little they had to treasure themselves? It still appalled her to no ends that the residents in Wonderland would be fine to see themselves with so little value.

"_I don't get it... Shouldn't it be the same for you?"_

Over the loud chatters, Boris's acute ears twitched and picked up Alice's question as she murmured distractedly. Same? How were they, the Roleholders and the Foreigner, the same? He tilted his head and blinked at her with confusion in his perceptive, ember orbs. A smile curved his lips then. They couldn't be more different yet she claims that they shared a similarity. Would everyone from her world think that way? However, all the previous Outsiders had never quite left such an intriguing and charming impression on him.

She was making him more and more curious about her, and it was more fun than just winning any old game.

_**[Arena number 14 has been chosen. Reassembly is complete. Time limit has been set to 15 minutes. Players, please proceed to the entrance platform.]**_

_15 minutes sounds like a really short time though..._Alice gulped hard as she and Boris stepped up into a raised and floating platform where two doors, which had magically appeared, awaited them. Gowland and her faceless teacher was already standing behind it with the controller which seems to have projected three other holographic screens from the machine; two of which contained vital information on her and Boris respectively while the centre one measured the game elements of the Arena. Peeking at it closely, she could even read their positions in a wire-framed 3D map and their health statistics as well, such as their heart rate and blood pressure.

_**[For monitoring and safety purposes, please keep your chest guard on. I repeat. Please wear your chest guard at all times.]**_

_Safety? When almost 70 percent of my body is exposed? _Alice scoffed and quirked an eyebrow sardonically, not feeling any more confident and assured than when she had first started wearing the strappy and stifling equipment.

The eye-less teacher arrogantly cleared his throat and addressed to the two participants, "So I take it that Mr Airay will be the pursuer as usual and Miss Liddle will be the target-"

"I object." Alice interrupted calmly with a raise of her hand. Eight stared at her questioningly while Gowland and Boris both looked bemused. However, her teacher was less amused.

"You… object?" The faceless adult mockingly asked.

Alice turned to the Chesire cat-boy instead to explain, ignoring her teacher whose puffed-up face turned beet-red with humiliation. "We are playing a game you are obviously very familiar with. I'm already at a disadvantage."

Gowland then pushed his glass up the bridge of his nose as he considered the fact thoroughly, "True. So what do you suggest?"

"A change of position. Boris will be the target."

This time, the expression on the crowds' faceless features could only be interpreted as saying 'She must be crazy!' Gowland burst out guffawing and Boris slapped a hand to his forehead with a huge grin on his feline face, his watchful, golden orbs smirking at her from behind his long, spiky and pink bangs.

"That's not going to change a thing you know. As target, I'm allowed to defend myself and if I can safely land three strikes on you, you're out." The punk-styled youth's stripy tail flicked about excitedly as he pointed out. The Foreigner might not know but he has been both target and pursuer before, in and out of class. The girl's decision was a pleasant surprise but it didn't matter. Either way, he's pretty certain that the result wasn't going to change.

"Better you than me." The teal-eyes girl said with a sigh. Alice disliked the idea of having to shoot someone, let alone three times just to win. Besides, with his experience, Boris would be more skillful with handling guns than her anyway. With him running away from her, she prayed that it would at least be a less easy task for him to win.

_Guess I won't have to worry about the game ending so soon…_ Boris let out a light-hearted laugh. With his acute sense of hearing and smell, even though it would be futile, it was a pretty smart choice for a beginner. "Ha ha ha! Then as agreed, if you can catch me and score just a single strike on my body before the time is up or before I deal three damages on you, I'll give up your belongings!"

"And if I don't?" The girl inquired grimly. Boris smiled to himself. The Foreigner wasn't afraid of competing with him, like how the other faceless students would be. But it looked like she's definitely aware of exactly what kind of person she is playing with and yet, she never once deterred or lost sight of her goal. It amused him to know how far a risk her curiously strong-willed nature would allow her to take for a mere book and a ribbon. Other than fulfilling their roles, nothing else was important and things and people don't last very long in their world. That would mean it was fairly useless in trying to hold onto anything significant, right? He strode up to her and stood so close that he was able to see her long, crescent-shaped lashes fanning on her smooth, blushing cheek as he invaded her personal space by leaning in.

Alice fidgeted uncomfortably when Boris's face came so near to hers. She couldn't help but broke her eyes away from his captivatingly, exotic , slit-iris orbs as he reached for a loose, lock of honey-colored hair on her shoulder that had fallen out of her ponytail. He twirled the ends around his fingers deftly and when he brought it to his smiling lips, she hoped so hard he wouldn't hear her heartbeat doubling in speed. The vibration of his low hum induced a delicious shiver that ran up her neck and the seductive sound of him licking his lip made her throat dry as he took his sweet time to think of a suitable punishment. Alice could definitely feel his keen eyes roam her hot, telling face as he did so.

"Hmmm, I get to keep it and you'll have to obey whatever I tell you to do for a month… Deal?"

His soft, coy, whisper made her stomach curl as she met his gaze, eyeing him seriously to gauge if he was joking or not and if he would hold his end of the agreement. Alice chewed on her bottom lip hard. She didn't like what she found but it wasn't as if she had any other choice.

"Don't look so serious. It's not like I'll make you do anything bad!" Boris good-humouredly teased, mischievous eyes urging her earnestly.

"Urgh… d-deal!" She stuttered rather forcefully. Brushing his hand away from her hair, she quickly walked past him to one of the two doors on the entrance platform, earning her a satisfied, smug chuckle as Boris made way to his door.

"Since both parties are in agreement, I'll approve!"

"M-Master Gowland!"

The bespectacled Role-holder chirped with much satisfaction, though it left the faceless teacher aghast as the yellow-dressed man went back to the controller to key in the details enthusiastically, looking very much like an excited little boy on his first joy ride.

"Talking big again I see. Not that I'm expecting much from you." A familiar harrumph at the side and a frowning Eight stared incredulously with her usual, folded arms. "Trust you to make things difficult for yourself."

But Alice smiled widely instead and gave two optimistic thumbs up. "Don't worry! I'll try my best not to let you down!"

"I DIDN'T SAY I WAS WORRIED!" Eight retorted, huffing and covering her dainty hand across her reddened face, with Seven starring at both girls in bafflement.

"Alright! All set to go!" A stubby finger slammed down on the controller's virtual button with finality and Gowland looked up at the two players on the platform, warning them while adjusting his glasses, "Us, as the audience, will be monitoring your actions from the safety of the gallery. Now, draw your weapons and get ready. The Arena itself is dangerous and rigged with many traps although I've already lowered the settings to level 2."

"Traps?" Alice's cried aloud, her voice coming out as a girlish and horrified squeal. "Why would anyone built such things for a gym lesson?"

"Ahem, that 'anyone' happens to be..." Boris cheekily trailed off and not-very-subtly nodded his head at the older Role-holder.

"… You're kidding me."

"Why not? It's entertaining! I'm sure you'll like it too!" The red-head's smile grew maniacally big, "The more the merrier, right Boris?"

The purple-pink cat nodded in agreement as he placed his hands on his hips proudly, shuffling the fur of his striped boa so naturally that it seemed as if it was a part of his body, "I've managed to go up to level 8 so this will be pretty easy!"

_There's… something really wrong in the head with these two!_ _They're really treating it as a game! _The Outsider made a face at the odd but suitably complemented Master and his Shield, unlike her and a certain, egoistical Mafioso. Like Boris and Gowland, Alice has no intention to use Blood as a Shield and with their last meeting, she was more than convinced that the young Hatter would never bow down to any Master, let alone someone like her. She envied the mutual partnership between Gowland and the Cheshire Cat since hers, on the other hand, wants absolutely nothing to do with each other. The thought not only boiled her blood but it left her heart unsettlingly heavy. There was no other reason for Blood to forge a Contract, no other connection, except for his striking resemblance and her heart and mind wasn't willing to explore that particular option.

_**KE-CLING.**_

The sound of chains jingling was heard and Alice instantaneously felt a familiar magical aura spike to her left, causing the hair on her arm to rise. It was a strange feeling; light and whimsical but with a quick and fleetingly sharp edge to it, unlike Ace's and Blood's one which felt very heavy overall. Looking over, she noticed that Boris had already armed himself with his purple, semiautomatic clutched in his right hand. Apart from the interestingly tasteful choice of color, the intriguing design, she noticed, included a line of large staples yet the firearm looked fashionable and a far cry from being the Frankenstein of all guns.

"You like it?" Boris asked, his ears and tail on alert when he caught Alice staring with interest. Beaming with pride, she even saw him blush a little as he began to rant ardently on his own accord, and to her surprise, while he lovingly caressing his weapon with much tenderness.

"A self-loading pistol based on an X360 Compact, the M1911 model and the Colt M1900. I remodeled it myself so this baby is one of a kind! It uses a 9mm caliber with a high magazine capacity and a triple-position rail system for maximized adjustment and accessorizing. Short reset polymer trigger, corrosion resistant steel barrel, serrated slip-proof slide and a modeled frame with optimal grip for more stability, it literally fits my hand like a glove! Wanna hold it?" His grin nearly reached his eyes as he offered it to her with an almost drunken look of euphoria that puzzled her.

_Don't tell me…Is he getting high on his gun?_ She gaped at him awkwardly as he continued to press his gun forward, his furry fail swaying with delight. Alice has only heard of cats getting drunk on catnip, but on a remodeled firearm?

"I-I don't really-"

"Don't be shy!" His eyes glazed over with ecstasy as he cooed and purred delectably, practically pushing his gun into her hands and freaking her out a little. "Try stroking it, especially the top here! See how smooth and well-built it is? It's not like any others so I'm sure it will feel reeeeeeeal nice."

"Hey! Stop playing around you dirty cat! You're gonna turn a girl off acting like that!" Gowland yelled out with a smirk from where he was standing, causing a bout of laughter to erupt from the observing faceless students.

"That's not true! All the girls I know like it." Unperturbed, Boris stated self-assuredly while spinning the gun around his forefinger with much expertise, effectively inducing a high-pitched, feminine cry of awe and support.

Alice reached for her own gun from the holster and stared at it for awhile. Holding her plain-looking, white weapon, it still felt surreal even after a week of living in Wonderland High. She never thought she would need a reason to ever use such a tool of violence and yet, in this world, it is the very means of their existence and survival.

_I'm never getting used to this… Maybe that's why I still don't have a True Name… _She sighed to herself.

"Once players go through the doors, you will be transported to random positions in the Arena and you will have exactly five seconds before the game starts. If you're ready you may enter." Gowland declared and the student crowd started cheering, fully pumped up and eager to see a fight, and most likely, lots of blood.

"See you on the other side, Alice!" Boris waved, looking too happy for such a perilous situation. His supporters cried even louder as he reached for the knob and stepped in without even batting his eye. After which the door automatically closed behind him.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Alice cynically smiled to herself and forced her lungs to take a deep breath. She could feel her whole body trembled as she inhaled.

"You'll do fine, Alice!" Gowland's good naturedly patted her shoulders, his calm and twinkling eyes glancing down at the nervous girl from behind his glasses. "Since you're new, I'll be watching over you and guiding you along the way with the tracking system built in your chest guard."

His sincere encouragement did soothe her jumpy nerves a bit and with his touch, her shoulders relaxed a little and Alice managed a small smile.

"So you see, there's nothing to worry about." Gowland grinned positively. "Just try not to lose an arm or a leg or your head and you'll pretty much survive! Oh wait, in your case, probably not the head. So good luck!"

Her smile strained to remain on her lips but her eyes stared at him, deadpanned.

"Maybe I should have written my will first." Alice grumbled beneath her breath.

With one last check on her fully renewed ammunition of her own light blue magical energy that swirled densely within the crystal orb embedded in her white gun, she reached to open her own door and took a big step in.

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"Man, second year girls are a pretty screechy bunch!" Elliot March complained whilst following behind his Master, his long, tanned ear stiffly flattening back as they made their way past the open, second floor corridor, a walkway that connected their building along the sides of the Arena. Coiled around his neck and over the collar of his white uniform shirt and navy blazer, the ends of his usual tattered, purple and orange checkered scarf drifted behind him.

"I have half a mind of putting a bullet through their mouths." The orange-headed man growled lowly, shooting a piercing amethyst glare at the noisy bunch, his fingers already coiled around the gold-decorated and characteristically curved handle of his pirate flintlock pistol that hung from his belt.

"Pay no heed to them and stop complaining Elliot." Blood's strict but fluid voice reprimanded as he uncaringly strolled in front, a hand in one of the pockets of his dark blue school pants. "You shouldn't be distracted by a small commotion like this."

"Of course. You're right Blood!" An approving smile instantly lit up his right-hand man's grumpy face with admiration. Elliot picked up the pace while observing the Arena's modified structure closely, tapping the spine of his and Blood's textbooks, which were held together in his other hand, on his broad left shoulder. "Hey! Will you look at that! They've assembled Arena number 14. Are they're having a Phys Ed test this early in the semester?"

"A Fight Simulation? How nice!"

Looking behind, the two found Ace who had joined in the conversation as he walked towards them in his striking, red blazer, much to Elliot's annoyance. Bored, Blood remained poised but let out a vexed breath while the hare casually but strategically stepped in to place himself directly between his Master and the red Knight.

"That's nostalgic!" The Head Prefect continued gleefully, disregarding Elliot's protective behavior as he stated with a big, smack-worthy grin, "Remember how Mr. Peter and you could never beat me?"

"You askin' for a fight, smilely?" Elliot confronted, his low voice dipping menacingly and his long animal ears standing on ends with bristled fur, looking very much like a snarling rabbit with fangs, if that even existed.

Ace taunted as he laughed; a light, bubbly sound that deceivingly dispelled his real intentions. "Ha ha ha, only if it's with you! I like it when you always get so impatient, rough and demanding at the end!"

"Sick bastard." Elliot murmured. His mauve orbs narrowed at the seemingly simple-minded opponent. He would have launched himself at the smirking jerk had it not been for a black, diamond-tipped cane topped with the Hatter's symbol which had suddenly appeared from the side to block him.

"Based on individual strength alone, I suppose it _is_ natural for the Knight to top the third years." Blood intercepted suavely, his expression neutral as he commented, but his emerald gaze was fully vigilant. Unpredictable and surprisingly cunning, the Knight of Hearts had always been the most troublesome to deal with despite his happy-go-lucky image.

Elliot's fingers dug into the metal hand rail of the corridor, disgruntled with the lack of support. "Humph! That doesn't mean he is unbeatable."

The wayward prefect's crimson eyes then widened innocently as he scratched the back of his head. "But I don't remember anyone who has been able to beat me before- oh wait! There was that time with the Vice Principle but it was a tie so that doesn't count-"

"THAT'S IT!" Elliot roared and brought his fist down on the rail with a loud slam, pointing the textbooks right in Ace's bewildered face. "Next Phys Ed class. My weapon against your weapon. Whoever lands five strikes first wins!"

"Five is no fun, make it ten!"

"Hell no, fifteen!"

"Twenty!"

"Fine! I'll hit you so hard you won't even have the strength to walk out of this!"

"Ha ha ha! Can't wait for you to try!"

Blood sighed at the distasteful argument before tapping his cane on his subordinate's arm. "Elliot, I'm in no mood to go to lab lesson now. We'll skip for a short tea session at the rooftop so have the refreshments delivered there." He instructed, clearly not entertained with the current company he had whilst he dissolved his cane and walked away with an obedient March Hare right at his heels.

"Oho? Not afraid if I tell on you, Mr. Hatter?" Ace followed the Hatter duo as he stretched and rested his arms behind his head lazily, his ruby orbs tapering slyly as he asked with a tilt of his brown head.

"Why should I when her Majesty isn't even in class today." The green-eyed Mafioso bluntly replied without looking back and increased his pace. Was it just him or does the corridor seemed to have gotten irritatingly longer? His lips pulled tight and his forehead began to crease. Ever since he had heard from his second-in-command that the Young Miss had awoken, the day hasn't felt right. Even after selfishly changing the time cycle to night, the once cooling, tranquil and dark sky did little to appease him. To put it in words, he would feel uneasiness pooling inside of him, making his chest feel hot and constricted. There was also a mental pull that would make him want to jump out of his seat and go… _somewhere_. But just as sudden as it came, the feeling and need would suddenly disappear, relinquishing him temporarily, only to come back again. And every, damn time it happened, that _girl _would always appear in his mind…

_Alice_ would appear. Out of the blues, indecisive… and out of his control.

And the Hatter didn't like it one bit.

If he had thought she was interesting enough to keep alive, the Foreigner had better prove to be worth the nuisance and whatever little tolerance he had left.

The brown-haired Disciplinary Division leader cupped his chin and pondered as he turned his deep red, scheming gaze down to the small cluster of students at the Arena's ground level. "Ah… guess that makes sense. The Queen's been pretty busy lately. Even Mr. Peter has gone to meet her. No wonder I feel lonely!"

"I don't give a damn if you're lonely or not." Elliot's deep and low tone groused, his patience weaning. "But for crying out loud, why the hell are you FOLLOWING us?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, that's right!" Punching a fist in his palm, Ace's mouth formed an 'O' and his eyes widened with enlightenment. "Because I think I'm lost, so I was hoping to reach class if I followed you guys!" The directionless knight admitted sheepishly and that had Elliot palming his face and exasperation, as did Blood who ran his hand through his silky, ebony hair in silent vexation.

"What are you, deaf?" Still walking, Elliot glanced over his shoulders to cast a deadly glare. "We said we're not going for class!"

"Since you guys are the only ones I had managed to find for the past three hours, I'm fine with that!"

"I'm NOT! You bloody #$%ing piece of crap!"

Ace merely laughed with an idiotic grin spread across his lips even as he continued to tag along, "Ha ha ha! Oh, by the way, I heard from the girls that the Foreigner and Mr. Kittycat are in there now."

"Alice? In the Arena? Isn't that too soon?" The sudden news perked Elliot's interest, as well as his ears. He turned his attention to the rowdy class being held below, leaning a little closer over the rail to try and catch a peek as he walked. That is, until he realized that he was no longer behind Blood, for the Mafioso and paused in his tracks earlier to so the same, his deep sea-green eyes fixated on the Arena.

"Aren't you coming, Blood?" Elliot turned to his superior, patiently waiting for further instructions.

The young, raven-haired Mad Hatter tipped his chin up broke into a languid grin, his words drawling with renewed amusement.

"On second thought, I think I'll stay for a while."

.

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"Oh…My God."

Once Alice had stepped through the door, it was as if she had entered a whole new world entirely! She hadn't had enough time to pay attention to exactly how Arena number 14 had looked like and she probably should have, for that particular number proved to be more of a freak-house than she had expected it to be when experiencing it in person!

"O-okay, it's n-normal to be surprised. I can do this! Relax Alice, relax." She spoke aloud, trying with much difficulty to calm her racing pulse, heart own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Aquamarine eyes darted around quickly to assess her surroundings, her mind working to get a clearer and more comprehensible bearing against the absurdity of the modeled environment before her.

_B-but where do I start?_ Her palms were getting sweaty, making it harder to hold on to her gun, and her own panicky voice sounded squeaky and hysterical in her brain.

_I'm not hysterical! A-am I? _Alice winced and asked herself, all the while gulping all the air she could get when she finally remembered to breathe_. I just need to slow down and think this through. Right. Nice, easy and slow-  
_

_**[Fight Simulation will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]**_

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**Okay... I know tthe chapter is the longest I have ever written for this and here were alot of new elements, maybe a little too much ^^; I had wanted to cut this story into 2 chaps but that would mean you guys will have to wait again and the fight will be pushed back another chapter X'D I wouldn't say it was my best work but meh XP So I hope it wasn't too confusing ^^;**

**Just to note for clarity:**

-_Deafstun_ is a convenient term for the sudents to refer to the effects of Gowland's magic. It is not his _True Name_ or his weapon's name.

-Yes... Gowland is a teacher who is in fact the creator of Amusement Town and the mastermind behind the planning of the school building. He is also Boris's official Master.

-Seven, the bully, is a new OC and there is a REALLY good reason for his existence apart from being Eight's back up.

-Blood, Elliot, Peter, Ace and Vivaldi unfortunately do have to attend some classes together. And their classes is not age based, so whether they are of the same age or not, it is up to you :)

**So before I leave, here's a sneak peak of the next chapter (if I ever do get started on it! X'D). **

**Sneak peak:**

"Alice? Why are you being so quiet? You're not hurt… are you?"

Silence.

But he could definitely smell her; the unique, tell-tale, sweet feminine scent was just around the corner and there was no other way out but to go through him in that small, 'L' shaped alley.

_But she's being awfully hushed for a pursuer-_

Suddenly, there was a thin and tight pulling sensation across the shin of his legs as he walked, and that was enough to send shock through his body when he realized what he had just triggered.

_Trapwire! Shit! _He mentally cursed, canines gritting as he braced himself for any particular attack.

**_CLANG!_ **

A loud crashing sound rang in the small space, right in the closed off bend of the narrow room and on reflex, he swiped his gun in the direction and took aim, steely eyes locked in the dark and shady area. He could barely pick out a small bottle on the ground, it's fragrant and liquid scent gushing out onto the floor and enveloping him.

_Perfume?_ He cocked his pink head sideways, his tail flicking about agitatedly and golden eyes widened at the surprise. But his triangular ears detected a sudden, unexpected clambering of movement behind him instead.

**"A bit too sweet for my taste, but it was useful."**

Alice flung over her cover and pointed her white barrel at the astonished but smirking cat.

"Smart! But not good enough Alice." Boris purred and pounced off, running into the corner.

_Where's he going? He should know it's a dead end! _She hadn't anticipated that action! Hastily, she got to her feet and gave in to the short and seemingly futile chase but turning into the bend, Alice realized that there was more to Boris's weapon than meets the eye.

"Aw, you saw me!" He grinned woflishly at her and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared right before her eyes.

**Alright! Guess that's about it ^^ If you have any comments, questions or critiques, do PM or REVIEW. I always welcome any constructive comments and would love to hear from you :) Thanks for reading and continuing this story with me even though it can be confusing lol! See ya next update! 8D**


	10. The Key

**********Wow, it's almost been a year and 2 months since I last updated! O.O Woohoo!- I-I mean sorry for the long wait again! X'D I haven't been in the writing groove lately and with a new job, writing has taken a back seat but this story has always been on my mind (also because I kinda dug myself a loophole which I nearly couldn't get out of but I FINALLY FIGURED HOW TO WIN THIS DAMN GAME! lol!).**

**********But anyway, thank you all so much for reading this story and for your support. I'm sorry I couldn't reply everyone's review this time but I do appreciate it, it really makes me wanna keep writing :'D Special thanks to **_chocochipscookies**********, **suzubell-chan**********, **Neko97**********, **TheShadowedKissedAngel, Lorelle _**and**_ Kurayami4Hikari _**for your encouraging PMs and a big shout out to **ALL MY FORUM MOD BUDDIES** ~ 3! Miss ya guys and the fun we had lots! =^^=**

**Once again I'll stressed that my writing may not be as good but I hope you'll still enjoy this update. You may now proceed! XDXDXD**

**********Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from the HnKnA series (which belongs to QuinRose) except my words and imagination for this AU, the school and my 2 supporting OCs.

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**Chapter 10: The Key**

Her sneakers treaded softly on checkered black and white tiled floor as she took a good look around Arena number 14. It was dimly lit with flashes of multicolored lights, as if someone had stashed Christmas lightings all over the place, yet it heavily bathed the room with a less-than-cozy feel.

_This is kind of disturbing…_ Her timid voice mumbled in her mind. The thought itself was an understatement as Alice adjusted her eyes to the uncomfortably lit atmosphere and finding the elements in the room a little hard to take in. There were toys, mountains of them, and all apparently old and unused. It was as if whoever had been playing with it had grown out of it and abandoned them for good. A child's toy piano laid on its side helplessly, no longer able to play any song with its strings jutting out from the exposed and wooden body, while dusty black and white weighted keys splayed across the floor. A dull blue balloon, still inflated but lacking it's buoyancy, rested limply beside a propped up handheld mirror with its gold painted rim and handle chipped while the reflective surface sustained wide, long cracks. Animal soft toys and dolls sat side by side, their vacant gazes stared at her without a word from their stitched-in mouths while bits of cotton stuffing leaked out from their unsightly seams.

It would have been a pretty understandable sight had it not been for their absurdly LARGE size. Alice was only as tall as a doll's feet, the balloons looked like a humongous beanbag meant for 10 people and the piano keys alone could be passed off for a bench!

_Oh wow…_ _I think I'm in a giant toy box! It's almost like the one Edith had…_ Alice realized as she turned her head up towards her classmates to see if she had shrunk instead. Above in the spectator' s gallery, she could hear the rowdiness of her class and among the faceless faces that were peering into the arena, she spotted Eight' s annoyed and frowning one which surprisingly relaxed her a bit.

_Ha ha ha…_ _she's probably trying to tell to me stop wasting my time looking stupid-_ "Oh!" She couldn't help the astounded squeak that left her lips when she saw her multiple reflections in the huge broken mirror looking even sillier back at her. But her mirror image wasn't wearing the school's sport's attire but some brown, dirty and tattered rag. Her face was painted white, black and red to look like a clown but a magically added eye-patch covered her left eye, and top her head was jester's hat. Both accessories were black and decorated with gold linings.

_Mirrors and me never go well, but isn't this a little much? _She quirked the corner of her mouth disapprovingly at her ridiculous reflections as she tried to wipe the mirrored make-up off her face but to no avail, seeing that it wasn't on her in the first place. She even tried touching the eye patch and hat, half expecting them to be on her but only to find it strangely non-existent, her fingers coming in contact with her hair and eyelids instead.

_How strange…_ She took a step back, eyeing the mirror's many broken reflections when suddenly her image started moving on its own! Alice could only gape as she watched 'herself' take a bow, swinging an open arm on one side while the other elegantly swiped the hat off 'her' head and cradled it against 'her' chest. And then, 'she' looked up at herself with one familiar blue-green eye, a sinister smirk that was entirely unlike her shaped 'her' lips as she heard her reflection let out a chilling and unusually high-pitched voice that reverberated through her bones…

"_**He he he **__**he **__**he!"**_

Alice let out a stifled scream as she stepped away from the broken mirror in fright. But then, her back bumped into something soft. The thing slumped over her from the impact and her vision was suddenly covered with rope-like tendrils from above. Looking up, she yelped when she found a face of a gigantic doll looking down at her! Immediately, she tried moving away but the doll, four times her size and clothed in a torn, lacy dress, inched even closer as it fell forward. Alice scampered to get out of the toy's way as it slammed onto the floor with a loud but padded crash, its head of orange yarn for hair rolling onto one side while a pair of wide, bright blue but lackluster glass eyes stared continuously at the breathless Foreigner.

"W-what… the hell..." Alice muttered under heaving breaths. Her hand latched onto a rough wooden and oddly shaped surface as she tried to catch her breath but right at that moment-

_**NEI-I-I-IGH!**_

The thing she was holding on suddenly shook itself free! She yelled and snatched her hand away when she recognized that the surface she was leaning on belonged to the head of a hobby horse which suddenly came to life! The toy horse, which was as big as the actual animal, reared its head against its own stick as it galloped around her, neighing and snorting its flared nostrils at the astonished girl. But its expression was static, with one of the craziest looking grins Alice had ever seen painted on a hobby horse's face. With a final, arrogant snort, the toy dashed past her and into the dark corners of the arena, leaving Alice exhausted and with a loss for words.

"HEY ALICEEEEE!"

Boris's cheerful voice echoed in the arena and though he startled her a bit, it gave her a semblance of comfort to know she wasn't alone in this madness. Alice held her breath, regaining her composure as her eyes peered through the darkness to find him. Sounds of roller coasters starting up could be heard and she could spot the coaster's empty cars rolling in the air on invisible tracks all around the Arena but there was no sight of the cat, catching just glimpses of his magical energy spiking around her and fleeting shadows of his nimble body and tempting tail.

She then heard a groaning sound coming from him next. _Did…__did he just yawn?! _She considered with a grimace.

"Better faster come and catch me or I might just fall asleep!" Boris cried out in reply, his last words echoed annoyingly in the hollowed area and Alice could picture him wearing that cheeky, handsome grin of his.

"Oh shut up!" she yelled back with a huff at the laughing, disembodied voice.

"Ha ha ha! Don't keep me waiting too long, Alice!" the cat gave his last advice and by the time the echoes of his words had faded, the silence took away all of his traces, if any at all, into the dark corners of the Arena and Alice was once again left to face her mission alone. Alice let out a breath and bit her bottom lip, her hand feeling about the content of her pocket as doubt and hesitation slowly crept into her mind.

**_[Ah… I wouldn't give away my position like that if I were you, sweetpea.]_ **

"Yikes!" the voice was so sudden and so close to her ear it made Alice jump out of her skin.

_[Hey hey! __Don't get scared by a lil'__ole __communicator device! I had every chest guard installed with them.] N_ow it was Gowland's electronic voice that greeted her and she placed her hand on her chest to calm herself down.

"So I've read," she said, steadying her breath again. She had done some studying on Fight Simulations to prepare herself and apparently it was one of the newly added safety features in the Arena's guidebook. "I think I just lost half of my life getting spooked in this place!" Alice replied with a hushed voice as she repositioned her grip on her gun and began her search, cautiously moving towards the toy piano with light feet.

_[Ha ha ha! __Ain't __that the beauty of it?] _Gowland told her proudly and she had to resist slapping her own forehead. She could see the increased possibility of dying from a heart attack in this place. And if that does happen, it would DEFINITELY be because of this particularly strange teacher of hers.

_[Anyway, the brilliantly talented and charming creator of this building welcomes you to Arena number 14!]_ The man's bright and exaggerating voice filtered through the darkness and she suppressed a giggle. _[Just to remind you, there are traps in this place but on the other hand, you are able to use anything you need here. Making full use of your environment will help give you an advantage. If you want to forfeit, there is a__'HELP'__button in the centre of your chest guard which will automatically teleport you out of the arena but that would disqualify you and your overall marks will revert back to zero.]_

"So it's a lose-lose situation then?" she stated dryly with a frown as her fingers located the said button on her small amour. She then spotted a piece of piano wire that laid by her feet and she bent down to pick it up, careful not to make a noise.

_[You can't have everything in this world sweetpea, or in any other world in fact. Don't you know that? Aw c'mon, don't give me that face!]_

Alice let out a sigh with a wry smile at his light-hearted plea. Maybe it was because she was being monitored on screen, or maybe it was her habit of wearing her feelings on her sleeve, but Gowland suddenly reminded her of a certain mind-reading principal with a tendency of puking blood. _Am I really that easy to read? s_he wondered. Between her fingers, the piano wire felt thick and coarse and a little too inflexible then she would have liked, and she placed it back down on the floor.

_[Since it's your first time, I'll be actively guiding you through your battle. If you ever need me, just press the blue button that is on the guard over you left shoulder. The virtual map of the place will appear if you press the yellow button on your right shoulder, but it will only show you your current location. You've still got to seek out Boris on your own, got it?__] _

"Got it." Alice quickly tried out the round button on her shoulder and immediately, a small square hologram flashed in front of her, showing an illuminated green 3D, grid-like map with a blinking red dot. The virtual wireframe formed vague structures but she could recognize the shapes of the piano and dolls surrounding the puny dot.

_[So ya got a plan, sweety?] _Gowland asked and she nervously touched her pocket again before making her way to the fallen balloon.

"Kinda but- "

_[That's great! Good results always start with a plan!]_ The Role-holder commended with dumb-founding enthusiasm. _[Now off ya go! I'll be monitoring from the safety of the gallery so don't you worry!]_

"Are you trying to encourage me or are you just pulling my leg?!" Alice wasn't sure if smiling at his quirky nature in such a precarious situation was appropriate but she did so anyway. She ran her exploring hand over the large expense of the balloon's blue material, pulling it slightly to test it.

_[Ha ha ha! I like ya sense of humour! Reminds me of a good __old grouchy friend of mine- oh but that's a story for another time. By the way, have you heard of rule number one in the Arena?]_ Gowland's voice suddenly grew solemn, effectively stopping what she was doing to fully focus her attention in listening to the in-built communicator.

"What's that?" Alice enquired, a cold sense of foreboding creeping under her skin like a touch of death.

_[Then let me teach you this, Alice. Just remember: Don't die.]_

His grave words had her gulping hard. Just surviving in this school was difficult. It was a hard rule to keep, but it was not like she had any other choice if she wanted to live. She replied with a loud and heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping from burdens that shouldn't have been there if she had obediently enrolled in a normal school.

_[That's the spirit!] T_he man's usually loud voice burst through the speakers and she had to hastily muffle it with her hand. Just who exactly was the one who told her that she should keep her voice down?

"What kind of spirit was that to you?!" Alice questioned with an arched eyebrow as she tried to eye the communicator device on her chest guard, but it merely made Gowland laugh even more.

_[Ha ha ha!__ Well then, g__ood luck, sweetpea!]_

A buzz told her that he had ended their conversation leaving her on her own now.

_That was rather… reassuring…_ Alice mentally said and she could picture her own conscience looking at her with folded arms, a worried expression and half a smile as she shrugged. _It's no use thinking too much about whether I can pull this off… _Blue-green eyes then hardened with resolve as she studied the map's hologram that was still activated in front of her while her hand tugged at the humongous, dusty, old balloon.

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"Heh... She's gathering quite an attention," an intelligent pair of lake-green orbs peered upward from behind his specs as Gowland murmured with a smirk when he caught sight of the Knight of Hearts with March, the faithful mafia's second-in-command and his master, the one and only arrogant Mad Hatter.

"HEY DUPREEEE!" Gowland's thunderous voice rang out to the second floor and the entire class turned their heads to that direction before looking away edgily when they found the piercing, humorless emerald eyes of the young Mafioso glaring back down at them. Undaunted, Gowland placed his hands on his hips and chortled.

"Can't help but be worried about your little Master here are you? Ha ha ha!"

"Me? Worried about the Foreigner?" Blood smirked, though the corners of his lips never quite touched his eyes, as his slender, gloved fingers rubbed along the smooth edges of the black diamond that rested on top of his cane, a dignified but intensely cold air surrounding him. He tipped his head down slightly, his smoldering gaze glinting menacingly in the shadow of his top hat. "Really now **_Mary_**, what are you saying? Have your brain shrunk even more since the last time we met, **_Mary_**?"

"OOOI you bastard! Come down here and say it in my face if you dare!" Gowland flew into livid rage as he stomped his feet and his pigtail stood on its end, his brown rifle materializing in his hand. But it was so expected that the faceless students surrounding him quickly scampered away, taking cover like a well practiced fire-drill whilst he brandished his weapon at the second floor corridor.

"Ha ha ha! Are we having a shoot-out? If we are, count me in!" Ace, who was resting his head on his arms along the corridor's railing suddenly perked up with interest as he swung his magically- appeared longsword onto his shoulders, automatically making most of the student's cringe back in fear.

"A good fight goes well with good food. Just let me finish this carrot meringue first!" Elliot acquiesced as one hand calmly pulled out his gun and placed it on the round tea table, finger already at the trigger, while his other hand stuffed another serving of the dessert into his mouth. His sharp, mauve eyes seemed more interested in the delicious orange treats that lay before him on the table.

"Here we go again," Eight muttered dryly as she and some other students hid behind one of the Arena's pillars.

"That Dupree is mad I tell you! He's never gonna let that joke die down is he?" Seven accompanied her as he peered out of the pillar from above Eight's petite head.

But Blood merely looked back at the cup of steaming black tea in his hands, unconcerned at the commotion he had roused, "I'd love too but the last time I did, you went on your little childish rampage even before I opened my mouth. What a waste of my time." He said as he brought his teacup up to his lips, closing his eyes and leisurely inhaling the rich and deep scent of the carefully selected tea leaves before tasting it.

"So sitting there with your little tea party as you watch your Master battle isn't a waste of your time then?" Gowland said with a knowing smile and instantly, Blood's deep green eyes flashed treacherously. Elliot continued eating, seemingly unperturbed but his orange-brown ears were raised at attention while his finger curled around his gun's trigger even more, the hare's arm muscles flexed in preparation as he gauged his Master's reaction. Ace on the other hand smiled even widely from the sidelines but he continued to observe the Mafioso from the corner of his narrowed, crimson eyes, apparently enjoying himself.

"You must be growing sentimental. Did the contract forging do that to you? Ha ha ha!" the bespectacled, older Role-holder continued without a care, practically courting death like a mad man would. And if looks could kill, Blood's glare would definitely pack more than just a punch.

"And you're growing senile, old boy," the younger, raven-haired youth coolly said without a pause as he took another sip before returning the cup onto the saucer, his shapely lips forming a tight thin line. Just as he thought, such distasteful talks could really ruin the taste of one's good tea. "She's no Master of mine, just an interesting toy to pass my time."

"Really? Well, whatever floats your boat Dupre, but you can't run away from the signs," Gowland shrugged. He was about to turn his attention back to the controller and the holographic monitor screens when he heard Blood asked.

"What signs?" The young man turned his sharp green gaze back to the man below, hiding his inquisitive nature under the brim of his top hat.

"Oh you know," Gowland started with an offhanded wave of his hand. "The usual need for the Shield to be with their Masters. The innate, protective nature of a Shield whenever the Master feels danger. It's all very… _instinctive_. Don't you know?"

This time, Blood replied with silence and a smirk once again curled Gowland's lips, "Oooooh that's right! Our pretty young lord here never needed to worry about protecting someone when he's the one being protected all these while, isn't that right? Ha ha ha! Ha ha-"

**_BAM BAM!_**

Gowland smiled tensely when he felt the impact of the bullets on the floor near the Arena's controller, right where his feet had been. G_otcha ya __lil' brat… _he chucked to himself as the back of his hand rubbed his stubble in amusement.

"It would have been fun if you hadn't move," Blood bluntly stated with a leer, fresh smoke wafted out of the black and white sub-machine gun that resided in his hands. The March Hare, who had paused for a second from his feasting, resumed slurping his carrot smoothie noisily.

_That's some impressive energy, Hatter! _Ace let out a whistle as he fingered his sword's coiled handle in anticipation.

_[Hey old man!]_ Boris's uninterested voice buzzed from the controller's communicator device. _[You having a fight without me?]_

Gowland grinned as he pressed one of the controller's buttons to respond to his Shield, "This old man can have a little fun on his own once in a while."

_[Well, hope you're having as much fun as I am.]_ The cat-boy answered, though his tone betrayed his boredom and he gave another yawn before signaling out.

"Don't you have an inexperienced Outsider to look after?" Blood's suave and commanding voice reminded as he lowered his gun. "It would be bad if your equipment is damaged now, wouldn't it?"

"Heh! I could say the same right back at ya, Dupre. Seeing that no matter how much you deny it or throw your little temper, it is still a fact that you are someone's Shield now, even if you are being a pretty lousy one at that," Gowland gave his glasses a little push up his nose before bringing his eyes back to the holographic screen as he advised his young, fellow Role-holder. "If you want to know more, I suggest you take off that high hat of yours and ask your right hand man about it."

Blood pursed his lips as he glanced at his rabbit-eared Shield. Elliot blinked back with wide eyes and a piece of orange cake stuck halfway in his mouth as he pointed to himself blankly. "M-mwhat? Mwe?" he asked with his mouth full and his long ears cocked questioningly and Blood let out a frustrated and reluctant sigh. Being a Shield in a Contract was never what he had bargained for. _But to beat one's enemy, I have to know thy strength and weakness first, is that it? _Blood considered with a frown as he dematerialized Shadow Rose.

He REALLY despised it so; the fact that he now had a weakness. A _bloody_ weakness named Alice.

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Usually, he'd have it over by two minutes but since the girl was new to this, Boris had been quite patient and content with twirling his gun around his finger and deliberately activating and destroying some of the smaller traps to assuage his boredom; like the huge, spiky pen nibs that would pierce through the 33th black tile if you happened to step on it, the handkerchief trap that acted faster than quicksand if a player gets tangled or lodged in them, the rain of heavy pearl beads if one were to open the old jewelry case, the fart bombs with a smell so toxic it could make a grown man cry and fall to his knees. And of course, the red pin cushions were his favorite; fall onto one and you will find yourself shooting into the sky and to the other side of the Arena. He'd often use it to annoy his opponents whenever they harbored the slightest hope of catching him.

But now, it's been five whole minutes since they entered the Arena and he was done waiting.

No one waits that long since five minutes is long enough to kill or be killed. He crouched low on the seat of the roller coaster car as it rolled on its invisible track at high speed and alleviated distance from the ground. Watchful ember canine-eyes scanned through the darkness below him, picking out the elements of Arena 14, the environment and its traps already memorized like a well-trained soldier.

_Something's up, I just know it… _his cat-gut kept churning uneasily and his hand tightened his hold on his semi-automatic. The roller coaster made a sudden dip down a steep slope but Boris stayed poised in his position, well attuned to the erratic movement of the ride while he analyzed their game. _Why hasn't she made a move? Isn't she the pursuer? _he pondered curiously as wind from the speed swept his pink tinted bangs across his face and whipped past his triangular ears.

_She hasn't come out of the open yet so she must be in the dark... _Boris grinned wolfishly then. It was something to be respected since not many new students, let alone Foreigners, would make moves like this. He then ran through the possible dark areas of the Arena where the girl could have hidden in his mind, gradually locating and cornering his prey.

_Being careful huh? But you can't hide from the Cheshire Cat…_ he smirked and tipped his nose into the air, taking in and sorting out all the possible scents in the Arena; the musky smell of old toys, the dusty cotton fillings, stale rotting wood, moth-bitten cloth… and the out-of-placed fragrant smell of a girl.

"There," he decided with a whisper and he launched himself out of the car and into the air, landing on the ball off his feet on top of a pile of picture books. Without stopping, he jumped down the flight of books, as if intentionally positioned like a flight of stairs, before reaching and bouncing off the tiled floor and into the shadow of a giant, ivory chess piece. Flattening his body and frisky tail against the two storey high bishop, he followed her scent inwards, passing more board game pieces and a strewn, yellowed deck of poker cards.

"Alice? Why are you being so quiet? You're not hurt… are you?"

Silence.

But he could definitely smell her; the unique, tell-tale, sweet feminine scent was just around the corner and there was no other way out but to go through him in that small, 'L ' shaped alley that was formed by a row of dominoes. Then, his furry ears pulled back, having picked out a distinct thumping sound behind him. Turning around, he pointed his gun right into the face of the mad-looking hobby horse. With unblinking painted eyes, it trotted and scratched at the ground with its wooden stick and gave an indignant snort at the cat. Boris clicked his tongue and shooed the animal away, and the wooden horse took off with a grunt, knocking into an equally larger-than-life porcelain mask and breaking at unceremoniously into pieces.

_Get a grip, it's just the old horse..._Boris chided himself. He had been through this Arena countless of time and he knew it like the back of his paw. There was no reason to even fathom that the outcome of this simple game was going to change just because the Foreigner was here. The pink-haired punk looked forward again, creeping towards the alley. Even by the shortest hair of his tail, he could tell she was there.

_But she's being awfully hushed for a pursuer-_

Suddenly, there was a thin and tight pulling sensation across the shin of his legs as he walked, and that was enough to send shock through his body when he realized what he had just triggered.

_Trapwire! Shit!_ He mentally cursed, canines gritting as he braced himself for any particular attack as he sprung himself back.

**_CLANG!_**

A loud crashing sound rang in the small space, right in the closed off bend of the narrow room and on reflex, he swiped his gun in the direction and took aim, steely slit-irises locked in the dark and shady spot. He could barely pick out a small bottle on the ground, it's aromatic liquid gushing out onto the floor and enveloping him.

_Perfume?_ He cocked his pink head sideways, his tail flicking about agitatedly and golden eyes widened at the surprise. But his triangular ears detected a sudden, unexpected clambering of movement behind him instead.

"My sister gave it to me. A bit too sweet for my taste, but it was useful," Alice flung over her cover and pointed her ivory-tinted gun at the astonished but smirking cat.

"Ha ha ha! Okay okay, you got me!" he chortled and raised both hands in the air, disarming Alice a little with his lack of defense. Even his frolicsome tail was swinging to and fro with delight. _String and cover from the old, deflated balloon? Not bad for the Outsider… _his twinkling yellow orbs tapered as the chain of his gun jangled gently while he assessed her use of materials.

"Smart!" He admitted, his smile showing the whites of his sharp canines, "…but not good enough, Alice," Boris purred and pounced off, running into the corner.

_Where's he going? He should know it_'_s a dead end!_ Alice's flustered, her finger on the trigger feeling clumsy. She hadn't anticipated that action! Hastily, she got to her feet and gave in to the short and seemingly futile chase but turning into the bend, Alice realized that there was more to Boris's weapon than she had expected. She suddenly inhaled sharply, her legs almost tripping when she felt a small but rapid spike of Boris's energy in front of her. _What is he going to do? Summoning his magic like that?_ she wondered cautiously, picking up the speed but the boy was still too fast for her.

…_**Door to Nowhere…**_

Boris chanted in his mind as he gathered his magical energy and his golden dead fish piercings glowed purplish-pink. The tip of his gun had a similar concentration of his magic too and when the ball of light disappeared, in place of it an embedded on the tip of his gun's muzzle was a small golden key with the same fish-skeleton design. He then raised his gun to the large domino blocking his way at the end of the alley, his hand aiming his semi-automatic in a side-ways fashion. The shot had to be timed precisely, something he could do even in his sleep.

…_**Open!…**_

Still running towards the door, he twisted his wrist, repositioning his side-laying gun into the usual upright position, as if turning the key by the handle. At the same moment when the gun felt 'locked' in place, he pressed the trigger. He knew - could feel - exactly when his energy-fueled bullet left his gun and slammed into the domino ahead. And that was when it happened. Along with the sound of impact, Alice witnessed the domino before her and the spaced around it warping and disappearing into a mini black hole on the domino where the bullet had hit. In a split of a second, the mysterious black hole widened into a shape of a human-sized keyhole, unveiling a smoky dark inside.

_W-what the-!_ her legs froze as she gawked at the sight. Boris's once light energy had also grown so quickly and so… _unrestrained_… that the immense weight of it literally intimidated her. She felt the distorting effects of the hole reeling her in as well so she quickly got down on all fours to maintain her position, ignoring the odd warmth that was emitted from her Enhancer. She could only watch as Boris leapt into the keyhole-shaped portal without breaking a sweat. But he turned to spare a glance at her and almost laughed when he saw her priceless, flabbergasted face.

"Aw, you saw me!" he grinned cheekily and with a wave of his hand, the magic hole closed in on him, sealing his escape route and the surface of the domino returned to normal. Silence ensued again as Alice stared straight ahead at the dots of the big, unmistakably solid blockade. Finally, her legs gave way and she slumped onto the floor, exhausted not from the run but from all the pre-attack anxiousness and the big surprised Boris had given her in return.

"No way!" she cried out, resting her weight on her hands as she leaned back on the dusty tiled floor, eyes closed and face towards the ceiling of the arena. Be it from the excitement or the fear, her small hands were still trembling and she finally released her grip on her gun's trigger whilst steadying her breaths. Muddled murmurs of excitement could be heard from the spectators and she let out a disappointed sigh. "Man, that was so close..."

_[Yeah, you nearly got him there cupcake.]_

Gowland's voice interrupted her thoughts once again, giving her heart and trigger-finger another jump. Alice grimaced, as much as it was for her own good, she's never going to get used to the feeling of having her privacy invaded. She replaced her gun back into its leather holster around her waist so that she wouldn't fire it accidentally.

_[Phew! I was almost certain you would have followed him. It's a wise choice not to engage in something you're unfamiliar with!] _She could picture the man nodding his red head and finger in a very teacher-like manner.

"That… that skill that Boris used," Alice re-worked her vocal chords which seemed to have gotten stuck in her throat, recalling the spectacle she had seen.

_[Ah yes! The "Door to Nowhere" is quite something isn't it? No other student has such a nifty transportation power like his,] _Gowland affirmed her imagination in his squeaking, speaker-voice._ [It brings him to wherever he desires; the ultimate hiding place and fortress for the Cheshire Cat. But it is said that if you enter the door without him, it will be almost impossible for you to get out on your own. And even if you did, you'll never be the same again. Even his opponents think twice before chasing after him whenever they see the door. You did too, didn't you?]_

Alice nodded in agreement, remembering the body-numbing sensation. "It's because his energy suddenly became so...raw and unbridled. Like it… it-"

_[Couldn't be tamed?] _Gowland completed her sentence for her, his voice dipped so ominously low and soft till she found her ears straining to listen to his every word.

_[Hmmm…But it's rare for him to use it since he prefers a good old chase!]_ He suddenly chirped loudly, breaking the suspense so abruptly it made Alice flinch. _[You've probably managed to make the cat in him serious this time! Ha ha ha! This is brilliant__ work, sugar! But you know as they say, 'the dodo doesn't sing the same song twice'.]_

"What?" she asked back, eyes large with confusion at his advice.

_[It means he won't fall for the same trick.]_

"Oh! You mean like lightning doesn't strike at the same place twice?" she corrected with a tilt of her fair head.

_[Huh? That phrase doesn't make sense at all. __Of course it does! It even happened to me! Tried holding a concert but the stage keeps getting burnt down by lightning. It happened 16 times I tell ya! Maybe the location's bad…]_ he groused rather seriously and she could find no words to tell him otherwise.

_[Anyway back to the point, though what you did was clever, you're not doing it right.]_

"What do you mean?" the teal-eyed Foreigner asked as she got to her feet, dusted off her pants and went to retrieve the spilled bottle of perfume. It was a good-luck memento from her sister after all and she wasn't one to throw away things, be it useless or not.

_[I mean you're not exactly seeking him out. See, fighting is so ingrained in us but your battle senses are fresh, you should make full use of it. We, the residents of Wonderland, are tied to our weapons. It stems from our core and so our energy is distinct like a signature. I'm sure you've experienced the difference in energy from the other students. But you're a Foreigner with no weapon. You are different and that's why if played it right, you can have the upper hand. So ya gotta' seek him out properly, sweetpea.]_

"But isn't that what I'm trying to do?" she asked in as she plugged the wet, hand-sized bottle, the strong, citrusy and flowery scent assailing her nostrils mercilessly. Alice could only imagine what it must have been like for Boris. "Plus he's too fast and he hides well. The difference between our skills is too big." the blonde girl reasoned, trying her best to mask her growing irritation and disappointment with the seemingly hopeless situation she had unwillingly been thrown into… _again_. She vented out on a nearby pair of toy jingle bells, giving one hard kick at one of the bronze spheres that was twice the size of her head. The bell tinkled noisily but she couldn't care less.

She was running out of plans, time and luck.

_[Tch… That's true but it still doesn't mean it's impossible to catch him. You have patience, something most young and hot-blooded boys and Boris don't have,] _Gowland chuckled lightheartedly. Even if it was a little bit, the sound helped eased the tension from her tight muscles. Up ahead, she spotted the wooden horse, now docile and leaning against an old music box on its side, apparently taking a rest from all the galloping. Alice figured it must have been tiring to run on just one stick.

_[Remember Alice, you opted to be the pursuer so take the advantage to __act a little more__. Assess carefully what you and your opponent can and cannot do. Don't rely on your eyes for everything, because everything may not be what it seems. It's especially so for Wonderland High.] _

"Alright, I've got it." Alice gave in reluctantly with a loud sigh and the familiar electronic buzz signaled him out of their little prep talk. She walked out of the domino-alley and brought up the holographic visuals for Arena 14 once more and re-tying up her long, honey-colored mess of a ponytail.

_I said I've got it but… but I don't have anything! _Alice chewed her bottom lip, the anxiousness of the game building at the pit of her stomach uncomfortably once more. _On the other hand, Boris has more experience and skills…_ and she was beginning to involuntarily count them off, one advantage after another as if she was counting down to her doom. _He has super reflexes, he has cat-like hearing and great sense of smell, not to mention Wonderland's unlimited source of magical energy, unlike mine… _Alice glanced down to the ground as she caressed the grip of her holstered gun, her fingertips brushing against the small glowing crystal orb on the weapon sadly before clenching her fist tightly to reprimand herself. She never liked the pessimistic side of her. But no matter how she look at it…

"I can't escape from Boris. Ultimately, he'll know where I am because he has everything and I-"

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, like the air held in suspense within her lungs. Her wide, round seafoam-coloured eyes now slowly blinked away the confusion and distress that had clouded her vision.

"He has everything _I_ don't," Alice realized with a gradually-forming smile and with that, she turned and darted back to where she came from.

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The Eight of Hearts stood, composed, with her arms folded across her slightly curved chest and a delicate tip of her sharp chin whilst she watched the chase unfold from the spectators' gallery.

"Good riddance! They can both finish each other up! Ha ha ha!"

"Boris is so cool! I'd do anything to get a power like his!"

"What in the world is that stupid _No Name_ doing now?"

The crowd was getting excited and restless at the same time, since the game is programmed to be over in less than 10 minutes and it had been a long while since the student body saw such a long Fight Simulation and the best shows were usually among the Role-holders. The longest one so far had been between the Shields from the Red Dorm against those from the Blue Dorm, a supposedly 'friendly' sporting event that became the bloodbath that they were all more used too. Even the vice principal, who was trying to stop the chaos, was pulled into it along with the Cheshire Cat who had jumped in for fun and the Fight Simulation lasted a good three days before all of them called it quits out of boredom.

"Who was she kidding! Either way, Boris ain't gonna lose to some _No Name_!" the faceless prefect heard her companion, Seven of Clubs, comment agitatedly. He ruffled his wavy two-toned hair as he glanced down at her, him being a head taller, "She looks too confident. Does she have a plan up her sleeve or something?"

"Humph, you give her too much credit," Eight replied without looking away from the Arena. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's just going with the flow. But then again, I don't think she'll go down that easily either."

"Even if she doesn't die today, there will still be tomorrow and the next day and the day after."

"Exactly," Eight acquiesced.

"Argh! I don't like it! I don't see why we have to put up with this prophecy crap. Just knowing that she's the Foreigner - that she's _The One_ - pisses me!" he grunted and gripped the edge of the stand.

"We all are," Eight said listlessly, and it was true. One way or another, they all hated her the moment she arrived at the gates of the school. It was an uneasy, invasive and bothering awareness, like a thorn that had suddenly got stuck in flesh and was left there to fester. Everything was run by the _Game_, everyone in Wonderland lives just for the _Game_. But to have an ignorant and green Outsider overturn things here, and a _No Name_ to boot, was just an assault and an insult to whatever livelihood they had. "It's not her fault but it's not like we can help it either."

"Ha! It's just her bad luck, as well as ours, that she came to Wonderland High," Seven scoffed and nudged his thick, white specs up his nose.

Eight grinned sardonically back at his comment. If there was any real luck at all, none of them would be here in this world. "It boils down to how long she can really last. We can only wait and watch then."

Just then, at the corner right behind Seven's broad and angular shoulders, she spotted a gathering of student's that made her prefect-senses tingle. Four faceless girls stood around one of the boys from their class. The considerably prettier one, the one with long dark curly locks, was whispering into his ears, her luscious lips curving, enticing with evil temptations. After that, they were all grinning insidiously and the boy nodded his head, looked around suspiciously and strode off. She watched the guy leave the Arena and disappear, taking the stairs down to the bottom level. When Eight turned her head back, she met the gaze of the girl who smirked at her, unabashed, and sauntered into the crowd with her groupie after a rather dramatic flip of her voluminous black hair at the class monitor. Eight raised a derisive eyebrow before she returned her eye-less gaze back to Alice, who was struggling to cut up some strands of yarn from one of the dolls head.

These sort of shifty-looking acts were too common in this school. Alliances, ambushes and sabotages were all reasonable means of survival if one were to study and live here. It wasn't something she would normally be bothered by besides her role of getting her class in order.

Even if she had recognized the girl to be the one whom Alice nearly had a fight with during the beginning of the lesson, it wasn't her problem to care.

"You've gone quiet. What's up?" Seven asked.

"Nothing," she replied apathetically as her hand went up to her massage the accumulated strain out of her neck. Unconsciously, her slim fingers paused to fiddle with her golden and red pin on her shirt's collar.

_It's not my problem to begin with. She should deal with what she started…_ Eight reiterated, self-vindication showing in the hardened and tight line of her lips as she rubbed the pads of her thumb along the rounded metal edges of her pin. As a card in the _Game_, she had long ago decided that she will only do what she was supposed to do…

Watch and wait.

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**Yeah! Definitely glad that I managed to write this one out! X'D So yeah, the outcome of the fight will only be revealed in the next chapter (which hopefully won't take as long to update but no promises ^^;)**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it and if there is anything I can do to improved in my writing, I'd love to hear them :) Thanks for reading once again and DO REVIEW or PM me on any comments, suggestions or constructive criticsms you might have! They're really my source of energy to continue writing for this story ^^;**

**Sneak Peak:**

"ALICE!"

She looked above, her vision turning blurry as she fell. She thought she had seen Peter, his face twisted in horror as he kept banging against the force field of the Arena, unable to get to her.

And beside him was Blood, his hands clenched into fists and his own pale features etched with a strange and worried look that was so unlike him, just starring at her wordlessly.

_"Blood…"_

She called out his name unconsciously, the Enhancer burning on her skin now, and she saw his brilliant emerald eyes widened as she prepared to hit the ground but the impact never came. Instead, she felt a strong arm coiled around her body and she was pressed against a toned chest, feathers of a furry, pink boa caressing her cheeks.

"Alice! Hang on!" Boris cried out above the deafening noise as everything fell apart around them. He's agile and lean form turned and quickly covered hers, his arm supporting her weight against his body around her waist. She couldn't feel much anymore, her head a dull pain as wet warmth trickled down from her temple. Even though she knew she had to move on her own or else they wouldn't make it, her body, numbed and heavy, just wouldn't obey.

"Hold on tight!"

Boris shouted the command and she willingly followed, fingers fumbling to grip his shirt tightly before all her strength ebbed away. As the structures of Arena number 14 turned into ruins right before her eyes, she heard Boris fire a shot as he leapt through the falling debris while carrying her effortlessly. There was a wash of cool air and suddenly, darkness surrounded them and Arena number 14 slowly disappeared from her sight and muffling the noise of the destruction.

Right before it turned dark, someone had called out her name again. An unforgettable but panicked voice and she was sure it wasn't Peter's but someone much closer to her this time.

**_"Alice!"_**

He reached out to her in her mind; a familiar bond forming and taking along with him half of her soul. Immediately, Alice thought of raven black hair and intense green eyes as Boris swept her away from the chaos and further into the darkness...

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**That's all folks! Hope that's good enough for a teaser lol! So keep tunning in and I'll see you next update! ^^ Nite!**


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